Thiruvananthapuram, May 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took potshots at the Congress and INDIA bloc during the Vizhinjam seaport inauguration in Kerala, saying that “some will lose sleep today”, apparently pointing to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who was present on stage.
PM Modi, after dedicating the Rs 8,900 project to the nation, told the gathering, “Today’s event is the first-of-its-kind, some will lose sleep over the mega inauguration event.” “This will irk some,” he added. PM Modi’s pointed reference was apparently at Congress MP Tharoor’s attendance at the seaport inauguration event.
Earlier in the day, Tharoor went to the airport to receive PM Modi, setting tongues wagging in political circles. Tharoor also shared pictures of receiving PM Modi at the airport, ahead of the inauguration ceremony. Notably, Tharoor’s recent “closeness” with the BJP and repeated praise for PM Modi have already sent rumour mills into overdrive. Speculations are rife that the Congress lawmaker was weighing his options within the party and contemplating a switch for a “better political future”.
However, these continue to remain mere hearsay for now. Those close to Tharoor admit off the record that he has been upset with the party high command for repeated neglect and spurn, and such “overtures” are nothing but means to vent his discontent with the party’s ways of functioning. In the past few months, Tharoor has praised PM Modi not once but multiple times. Early this year, when US President Donald Trump described PM Modi as a “tough and better negotiator” than him, the Congress MP welcomed the statement and said, “That sounds very good”.
The last time Tharoor praised PM Modi was on India’s vaccine diplomacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Praising the Vaccine Matri project of the Modi government, he said that this policy “reinforced India’s image as a benevolent and reliable partner on the global stage”. IANS