In Shashi Tharoor's Vocal Support Of Rahul Gandhi, Signs Of Growing Closeness

When Rahul Gandhi rose to speak in the Lok Sabha on Monday, holding up a printed magazine article referring to an unpublished memoir by former Army chief General MM Naravane, it escalated into a full-blown parliamentary confrontation, then an adjournment. 

It was in the aftermath of this adjournment that Rahul Gandhi's Congress colleague Shashi Tharoor's intervention stood out. Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Tharoor delivered a strong defence of Rahul Gandhi, arguing that the government's response had been disproportionate.

"He never got a chance to lay out his concerns," Tharoor said. The article does not blame the forces or the soldiers at all. The issue is about some of the decisions that were taken or not taken by the central government.  And that clearly is what Rahul ji intended to raise. All I can say is I think the government did not need to overreact." 

The trigger for the controversy was Rahul Gandhi's attempt, as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to raise questions linked to the 2020 India-China military stand-off in eastern Ladakh. The Congress leader began his remarks by referring to a published article based on an unpublished memoir by General MM Naravane, which discussed decisions surrounding the crisis. 

The reference drew instant objections from the treasury benches, with  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju all intervening to challenge Rahul Gandhi's right to quote from an unpublished book. 

The Disputed Reference

The controversy centred on Rahul Gandhi's attempt to cite an article published in a magazine, which drew upon General Naravane's yet-to-be-released memoir, Four Stars of Destiny. The book reportedly reflects on the circumstances of the 2020 eastern Ladakh stand-off, which began in early May that year following a violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Pangong Lake area. The confrontation eventually escalated into the most serious military crisis between the two countries in decades.

Senior ministers argued that quoting from an unpublished memoir was inappropriate and misleading. Opposition leaders countered that the material Rahul Gandhi sought to reference was already in the public domain by virtue of the magazine article, which remains freely accessible.

Gandhi repeatedly attempted to continue his speech, the magazine printout in hand, but was prevented from doing so. 

Tharoor Steps Forward

Tharoor said he believed the government "did not need to overreact", adding that the matter Gandhi sought to discuss was already publicly available.

"He was basing himself on a published article, which quotes a memoir by General Naravane that is still unpublished," Tharoor said. "Instead of objecting to the fact that the book has not been published, the government should have let him speak."

"The overreaction of the government has needlessly paralysed the House this afternoon," he added. "To my mind, frankly, it would have been healthy for Parliament to have allowed the discussion to proceed, which is what Parliament is for. The best answer, if the facts are wrong, is to correct the facts, not to prevent the facts from being aired."

The senior Congress leader reached back into parliamentary history to underline his argument. He recalled the precedent set during some of India's most testing national security crises.

"The most important thing that the Congress did during Jawaharlal Nehru's time was to conduct debates in Parliament," Tharoor said. He added that during the 1962 war with China, Parliament sat through extended debates, even as the conflict was underway. "There was no whip. Even government MPs were able to criticise the government and criticise Prime Minister Nehru," he said.

Tharoor added that parliamentary sessions were also held during the wars of 1965 and 1971, with lawmakers being briefed and the nation taken into confidence. 

A Meeting Behind Closed Doors

After the adjournment of the Lok Sabha, opposition leaders began arriving at Rahul Gandhi's office in Parliament. The gathering included Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, along with senior party figures.

Priyanka Gandhi, who had earlier left Parliament, was called back. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal arrived soon after. The most closely watched moment, however, came when Tharoor walked into Rahul Gandhi's room to attend the meeting.

According to party sources, the meeting lasted around 40 minutes. It was attended by Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and Tharoor, and later joined by Gaurav Gogoi, the Congress's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha. 

This was the first time Tharoor had attended such a meeting with Rahul Gandhi since a separate meeting involving him, Kharge and Tharoor the previous week. That earlier interaction had fuelled speculation about internal differences, particularly in the context of leadership dynamics and the upcoming assembly elections in Kerala.

Thawing Relations

Within Congress circles, Monday's events were widely interpreted as a sign that any frost between Rahul Gandhi and Tharoor may be beginning to thaw. Several party leaders were seen speaking quietly among themselves, noting the change in Tharoor's public posture.

Until now, Tharoor, often viewed as an independent-minded and occasionally cautious voice within the party, had tended to avoid direct involvement in such confrontations. His unambiguous defence of Rahul Gandhi, both in public statements and through his presence at the closed-door meeting, marked a shift.