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Who is Shashi Tharoor?
Shashi Tharoor, a four-time Parliamentarian, is a prominent Congress politician and serves as a Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram constituency of Kerala.
Tharoor gained international attention for his participation in a debate at Oxford where he argued that Britain should pay reparations to its former colonies. He has authored numerous books, both fiction and non-fiction. He is also popular for his vast vocabulary and his use of lesser-known words that create social media trends from time to time.
Early life
Born on March 9, 1956, in London to Chandran Tharoor and Sulekha Menon, Shashi Tharoor spent his childhood in India.
Before joining politics, Tharoor had a stint at the United Nations, where he spent nearly three decades working in various capacities. From handling key responsibilities in peace-keeping after the Cold War to serving as senior advisor to the Secretary-General and then rising to the position of Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, he evolved into a seasoned diplomat.
Education
He attended schools in Mumbai and Kolkata. He graduated from St Stephen's College in Delhi. He pursued higher education at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the US, where he earned a Master's degree and a PhD in International Affairs.
Political journey
In 2009, he won the Lok Sabha seat from Thiruvananthapuram, representing the Congress party, despite significant opposition from within the party's Kerala wing. He was appointed Minister of State for External Affairs in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet during the United Progressive Alliance I (UPA I) government. Tharoor was re-elected from Thiruvananthapuram in 2014. He won his third successive election from Thiruvananthapuram during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and again in 2024 after defeating his rival, the BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar by 16,077 votes.
Controversies
Tharoor has been involved in several controversies, including issues related to sweat equity in an Indian Premier League (IPL) team. Tharoor faced a massive controversy after his wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a Delhi hotel in 2014. Four years later, in 2018, the police charged him with abetment to suicide. The three-time MP was cleared of all charges in August 2021.
When Pranab Mukherjee initiated an austerity drive during UPA I, the former diplomat was found staying in a 5-star hotel for weeks. On Twitter, he ruffled feathers when he said he "would travel cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows".