Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor's son Ishaan among staff hit by Washington Post layoffs

The US daily newspaper, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, eliminated around one-third of its staff, shutting down its sports section and cutting back several foreign bureaus and books coverage

Rahul Gandhi a sincere leader, 'strong voice' against communalism: Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday lauded party leader Rahul Gandhi as a "sincere" person who was a "strong voice" on various issues like communalism in the country. Tharoor said that everyone likes Rahul as he constantly speaks against the politics of communalism, hatred and divisiveness in the country. "I do not have a different opinion on that," the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram told reporters here. Tharoor also said that he had never agreed with any wrong comment against Rahul, saying "he is a sincere leader". His remarks come a day after he met party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi for redressal of his grievances, after which he said "all is good" and "we are all on the same page". Tharoor had been upset over the treatment meted out to him at a Kochi event recently and attempts by some leaders to sideline him in Kerala.

'All is good, we are on same page': Tharoor after meeting Kharge, Rahul

Amid reports that he was upset with his party, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday met party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, and said "all is good" and he is on the "same page" with the leadership. The meeting in Kharge's chamber in Parliament House complex lasted for over an hour. Sources said Congress general secretary K C Venugopal also joined the meeting. "We had a discussion with my two party leaders, the LoP and the Congress president. We had a very good, constructive, positive discussion," Tharoor said. "All is good and we are moving together on the same page, what more can I say," he told reporters in Parliament premises after the meeting. Asked if the issue of chief ministerial face for Kerala polls was discussed, Tharoor said that was never the issue. "I am not interested in being the candidate for anything. At the moment I am already an MP, I have the trust of my voters from Thiruvananthapuram. I have their interest to look after in Parliame

Never violated party line, unapologetic over Op Sindoor stance: Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said he has never violated the party's stated positions in Parliament, asserting that his only public disagreement in principle was over Operation Sindhoor. Answering questions during a session at the Kerala Literature Festival here, Tharoor said he had taken a strong stand on that issue and remained "unapologetic". His statement comes amidst recent reports stating "Tharoor's differences with the party leadership", with a speculation that he is upset over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi not adequately acknowledging his presence at a recent event in Kochi and over alleged repeated attempts by state leaders to sideline him. Explaining his position, Tharoor said that, as an observer and writer, he had written a newspaper column after the Pahalgam incident, stating that it should not go unpunished and that there should be a kinetic response. He said that while India is focused on development, it should not be dragged into a prolonged conflict with ..

Pvt Members' Bills return to spotlight, even as history shows rare success

Despite rarely becoming law, these have left a lasting imprint on India's legislative journey

New nuclear energy Bill puts profit over safety, alleges Shashi Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday described the government's nuclear energy bill as a "dangerous leap into privatised nuclear expansion" without adequate safeguards and asserted that the pursuit of capital cannot be allowed to override the requirements of public safety, environmental protection and victim justice. Participating in a debate on the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Tharoor claimed that the proposed legislation is ridden with exceptions, heavy on discretion and largely indifferent to public welfare. "I am not sure whether it is a nuclear bill or an unclear bill," he said. The former Union minister said the SHANTI Bill represents a "dangerous leap into privatised nuclear expansion" with inadequate safeguards. "We cannot allow the pursuit of capital to override the non-negotiable requirements of public safety, environmental protection and victim justice," he asserted. "The name SHANTI m

Beauty of democracy: Tharoor congratulates BJP on civic body poll win

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday, while lauding the win of the UDF in Kerala local bodies elections, also congratulated the BJP for its historic performance in his Thiruvananthapuram constituency, calling it the "beauty of democracy". In a post on X, he said the people's verdict must be respected, whether for the UDF overall or for the BJP in his constituency. "What a day of amazing results in the Kerala local self-government elections! The mandate is clear, and the democratic spirit of the state shines through. "A huge congratulations to @UDFKerala for a truly impressive win across various local bodies! This is a massive endorsement and a powerful signal ahead of the state legislative elections. Hard work, a strong message and anti-incumbency have all clearly paid off to achieve a much better result than in 2020," Tharoor said. He said he also acknowledges the historic performance of the BJP in Thiruvananthapuram, and "offer humble congratulations on their significant ..

Will neither accept 'Veer Savarkar Award', nor attend ceremony: Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday categorically stated that he would not accept an award named after VD Savarkar, nor attend a related event, even as a senior party colleague wanted the Congress MP to not accept any honour named after the ideologue whom he claimed "bowed before the British." Tharoor said that he will NOT accept the "Veer Savarkar Award" and also won't attend the event where it will be presented in the absence of clarifications about its nature or the organisation presenting it. Tharoor, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram, also said that "it was irresponsible on the part of the organisers to announce my name without my having agreed to receive it". Earlier in the day, Congress leader K Muraleedharan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that no party member, including Tharoor, should accept any award in the name of Veer Savarkar "as he had bowed before the British." Muraleedharan said that he does not believe that Tharoor will accept the award as doing so would insult and ...

'Warm and engaging atmosphere reigned': Shashi Tharoor on Putin banquet

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who on Friday attended a banquet for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, on Saturday described the atmosphere there as "warm" and "engaging", and said he enjoyed his conversations with many of the attendees. Tharoo's remarks came a day after President Droupadi Murmu hosted a banquet for the visiting Russian president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. Attended the @rashtrapatibhvn banquet for President Putin last night. A warm and engaging atmosphere reigned. Enjoyed my conversations with many of the attendees, especially my dining companions from the Russian delegation!" Tharoor said in a social media post. Murmu, while welcoming President Putin and his delegation at the banquet, had said that his visit marked an important milestone -- the 25th anniversary of the India-Russia strategic partnership, which was established in October 2000 during his first visit to the country as president. Murmu also appreciated Putin's supp

Sanchar Saathi row: Compulsory apps 'troubling' for democracy, says Tharoor

Amid the Sanchar Saathi application row, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said making anything compulsory in a democracy is troubling and asserted that the government should explain everything to the public instead of just passing an order. The Department of Telecom (DoT) has directed manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets to ensure that its fraud reporting app Sanchar Saathi is pre-installed in all new devices within 90 days. Responding to questions on the issue outside Parliament, Tharoor said, "I have not studied the issue in detail but common sense tells me that these apps can be useful provided they are voluntary. Everyone who needs them should be able to download them." "Making anything compulsory in a democracy is troubling. But I need to look more into the logic of the government. The government should explain everything to the public instead of just passing an order that the media reports. We need to have a discussion where the government explains wh

Shashi Tharoor hails Trump-Mamdani meeting as "how democracy should work"

Tharoor's remarks came a day after Trump met Mamdani at the White House, a meeting that drew attention because of their heated exchanges during the New York mayoral campaign

Dynastic politics 'grave threat' to Indian democracy: Shashi Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said that dynastic politics across the political spectrum poses a "grave threat" to Indian democracy and asserted it is high time that India traded "dynasty for meritocracy". He said that when political power is determined by lineage rather than ability, commitment or grassroots engagement, the quality of governance suffers. In an article for international media organisation Project Syndicate, the Thiruvananthapuram MP pointed out that while the Nehru-Gandhi family is associated with the Congress, dynastic succession prevails across the political spectrum. Tharoor's remarks come weeks after the row over his comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and the diplomatic outreach after the Pahalgam attack. His comments were at variance with the Congress stand and many party leaders took a swipe at him, questioning his intentions. In the article titled 'Indian Politics Are a Family Business', Tharoor said that for decades, one family has towered o

Centre moots extending tenure of parliamentary panels to two years

The move follows concerns from lawmakers that the current one-year term is too short for committees to conduct in-depth studies and prepare effective reports

Watch: Shashi Tharoor questions no handshake with Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's remark on the Indian cricket team's decision to not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the Asia Cup clash have sparked a controversy. On Thursday.

Diaspora's silence on US' policy change targeting India surprising: Tharoor

A parliamentary panel on Tuesday raised the recent adversarial decisions taken by the US aimed at India with a visiting delegation of lawmakers from that country and the "silence" of the Indian-American diaspora over these developments came up during the discussion. All five Congress members from the US are Democrats, who are in the opposition and have been broadly critical of US President Donald Trump's policies. The chairman of the Standing Committee on External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor, said after the meeting that one of the points the panel members, who are drawn from the ruling as well as opposition parties, raised was why the Indian-American diaspora has been "so silent about all this". Some members of the US delegation headed by Ami Bera, who is of Indian origin, shared the view. Tharoor said, "I do want to stress that one of the points we raised is why the Indian-American diaspora has been so silent about all this. One of the Congressmen said not one phone call has come to h

Don't think we should overreact: Tharoor on Saudi-Pakistan defence pact

Last week, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a "Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement", pledging that any aggression against either nation would be treated as an attack on both

135,000 jobs lost in Surat due to Trump's trade tariffs: Shashi Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that US tariffs have already led to around 135,000 layoffs in Surat's gems and jewellery sector, with potential job losses looming in seafood and manufacturing

Trump's tariffs hurting India, people losing jobs: Shashi Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday said the tariffs imposed by the US has impacted India with people already losing jobs, even as he lashed out at American President Donald Trump for being "mercurial" in nature and not honouring conventional standards of diplomatic behaviour. US has imposed a 50 per cent tariff, including 25 per cent as penalty for buying Russian oil, on shipments from India. India needs to diversify export markets to mitigate the impact of tariffs, Tharoor said, adding that 1.35 lakh people have lost jobs in gems and jewelery business in Surat and in seafood and manufacturing sectors. "Mr Trump is a very mercurial individual, and the American system gives the President an amazing amount of leeway," Tharoor said while replying to a query related to Indo-US relationship and imposition of tariffs, at a conference organised by CREDAI, India's apex industry body for real estate sector. Continuing with his opinion about Trump, Tharoor said, "Even though the

Tharoor lauds Sudarshan Reddy after V-P poll loss, says fight is for ideals

Soon after Opposition candidate B Sudarshan Reddy's defeat in the vice presidential polls, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday hailed the former Supreme Court judge and said that sometimes the fight is not about winning or losing but about standing up for one's convictions. His remarks came after NDA candidate C P Radhakrishnan was elected the next vice president of India, bagging 452 votes against the opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy's 300. "Sometimes the fight is not about winning or losing but about standing up for your convictions. Pranaams Sudershan Reddy ji," Tharoor said on X. After the results were announced, the Congress said, "The BJP's 'arithmetical' victory in the vice presidential election is both a 'moral and political defeat' for the ruling party. The Congress also asserted that the Opposition stood united in the election with "most respectable" performance." Announcing the result of the vice presidential election this evening, Rajya Sabha Secretar

Much fairer system, better for everyone: Tharoor welcomes GST reforms

Earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that US President Donald Trump's "pressure is mounting" and claimed the Union government implemented the GST reforms with elections approaching