- Shashi Tharoor defended veteran BJP leader LK Advani after online criticism
- Tharoor cited Nehru and Indira Gandhi to argue against judging a leader by one incident
- Advani, a former deputy prime minister, turned 98 and was wished by Tharoor
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has defended veteran politician Lal Krishna Advani after his birthday wishes for the senior BJP leader drew harsh criticism from a lawyer online. Citing former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, he argued that it is unfair to judge a person through a single incident after years of public service.
Advani, a founding member of the BJP who served as the country's deputy prime minister during 2002-2004, turned 98 yesterday. Wishing him on his special day, Tharoor shared a photo of his young self with the veteran leader, whom he described as a "true statesman" with an "exemplary" life of service and "unwavering commitment" to public service.
"Wishing the venerable Shri LK Advani a very happy 98th birthday! His unwavering commitment to public service, his modesty & decency, and his role in shaping the trajectory of modern India are indelible. A true statesman whose life of service has been exemplary," read his online post.
Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde sought to differ with him. "Sorry Mr Tharoor, unleashing the "dragon seeds of hatred" (to quote Khushwant Singh) in this country is NOT public service," he said, apparently pointing to Advani's 1990 Ram Rath Yatra that is believed to have led to a mass mobilisation ahead of the Babri Mosque demolition.
Singh, a popular author and journalist, had used the phrase to criticise Advani at a public meeting, which also finds mention in his book 'The End of India'. Advani was present at the meeting when Singh directed the criticism at him.
Tharoor, however, wasn't convinced. He argued that the politician's long years of service cannot be reduced to just one incident. "Reducing his long years of service to one episode, however significant, is also unfair. The totality of Nehruji's career cannot be judged by the China setback, nor Indira Gandhi's by the Emergency alone. I believe we should extend the same courtesy to Advaniji," said the 69-year-old MP from Thiruvananthapuram.
Tharoor had earlier faced criticism from within his own party for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his meeting with US President Donald Trump. A firefighting exercise was carried out by the Congress to show that the camp was united, as the criticism led to speculations of a rift between Tharoor and the Congress leadership.
Last week, he wrote an article about dynastic politics hindering meritocracy, drawing praise from the BJP. The article listed the Gandhi-Nehru family as an example, but did not provide any BJP example.
