For some it’s ‘Modi first, country later’: Kharge’s swipe at Shashi Tharoor

In a jibe at Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said his party believes in “country first" mantra but for some it is “Modi first and country later".

“I can’t read English well. His (Tharoor’s) language is very good, that’s why we have made him a Congress Working Committee member," Kharge said when asked about Tharoor’s article on Operation Sindoor outreach in which he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“But I want to say the people of the opposition together said they are with the Army that is fighting (during Operation Sindoor). We (the Congress) said the country is biggest and we will work together (with the government). We said ‘country first, party later’. Some people say ‘Modi first, country later’. What can we do in that," he said.

Soon after Kharge’s remarks, Tharoor put out a cryptic post on X in which there was an image of a bird with the caption –“Don’t ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one…"

Tharoor, in an article published in The Hindu on Monday, said Modi’s energy, dynamism and willingness to engage remained a “prime asset" for India on the global stage but deserved greater backing.

His remarks were seen as likely to irk his Congress party and widen cracks in his ties with its leadership.

In the article, Tharoor said the diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor was a moment of national resolve and effective communication.

India