New Delhi: Veteran Congress leader Shashi Tharoor heaped praises on the Narendra Modi government’s success in making G20 a ‘buzzword’ on Monday, but expressed concerns over the country’s China policy beyond the ban on Chinese apps. His words have drawn a response from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which stated that Tharoor had finally ‘spoken the truth’ in acknowledging the Prime Minister’s exemplary efforts.
Tharoor’s remarks came during a CNN-News18 conclave on Monday, where he commended PM Modi for his outreach to the Islamic world and credited him for making the G20 a ‘buzzword’. He further opined that the united Opposition must come out with a Common Minimum Programme if it has to take on the BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha elections. ‘India did brilliantly; full credit for seizing the (G20) opportunity and highlighting India. The globe can’t ignore India anymore. PM Modi’s foreign policy has evolved’, he said.
Tharoor added that there should not be politics over national security, but alleged that the government had seemingly given China ‘a free pass’ for transgressions against India. ‘Ties with China are at a crossroads. There is no clarity from the government on China policy. There is no discussion on China in Parliament. The ban on Chinese apps was just tokenism’.
Asked about the Opposition’s attempts to forge an anti-BJP front for General Elections next year, Tharoor said the bloc must come out with a common minimum programme. ‘We must not divide votes tackling the BJP and should come with a common minimum programme. There was tremendous sense of common cause in Patna’, he said referring to the opposition’s first meeting hosted by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on June 23.
In response to Tharoor’s unexpected praise, Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP’s IT-cell, stated, ‘Tharoor, perhaps in a moment of weakness, has finally ‘spoken the truth’.’
Prime Minister Modi’s outreach to the Islamic world has been exemplary, it couldn’t have been better. Our relations are outstanding, especially with the Arab world…
Shashi Tharoor, perhaps in a moment of weakness, finally spoke the truth. pic.twitter.com/XgwD21NBee
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 17, 2023
This is not the first time Tharoor has acknowledged the government’s achievements under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. Recently, he had praised the Prime Minister for reviving and popularising yoga. ‘We should also acknowledge all those who revived and popularised yoga, including our government for internationalising the International Yoga Day through the UN’, Tharoor had previously said.
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