Bird becoming parrot: Congress MP's veiled dig at Shashi Thaoor's Emergency op-ed

India Today

5 days ago

Congress leader Manickam Tagore on Thursday appeared to aim a sharp but indirect dig at his party colleague Shashi Tharoor, questioning whether the Thiruvananthapuram MP was echoing the BJP's narrative on the Emergency.Tagore's cryptic message came after Tharoor, in an opinion piece published by Project Syndicate, argued that the Emergency should not be remembered solely as a dark chapter in India's history but that its complexities and lessons must be fully understood.advertisementTaking to X, Tagore wrote, "When a colleague starts repeating BJP lines word for word, you begin to wonder — is the Bird becoming a parrot? Mimicry is cute in birds, not in politics". Though he did not name Tharoor directly, the target of his post was clear.
In his searing op-ed, Tharoor recalled the excesses during the Emergency imposed by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from 25 June 1975 to 21 March 1977. He pointed out that measures intended to bring discipline often descended into brutality."Sanjay Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi, led forced sterilisation campaigns, which became a notorious example of this. In poor rural areas, violence and coercion were used to meet arbitrary targets. In cities like New Delhi, slums were mercilessly demolished and cleared. Thousands of people were rendered homeless. Their welfare was not taken into consideration," Tharoor wrote.Furthermore, Tharoor also warned that the urge to concentrate power, suppress dissent, and sidestep constitutional checks could resurface in different ways."Often, such tendencies may be justified in the name of national interest or stability. In this sense, the Emergency stands as a strong warning. The guardians of democracy must always remain vigilant," he added.CONGRESS-THAROOR RIFT DEEPENSAmid simmering unease within the Congress, Shashi Tharoor's recent remarks on the India-Pakistan conflict and New Delhi's diplomatic approach have stood out for not aligning with his party's official line.It was last month that Tharoor, who has lately drawn notice for his overt praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leadership of a delegation to spread the government's message on Operation Sindoor, kicked off what has now become a 'bird analogy' sparring match within the party.In a cryptic post on X last month, the Thiruvananthapuram MP shared a picture of a bird and wrote: "Don't ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one". The post was widely read as Tharoor's subtle but firm rejoinder to critics within the Congress, a signal that he would chart his own course and not be tethered by the party's internal constraints.advertisementPicking up the same metaphor, Tagore appeared to fire back the very next day. "Don't ask permission to fly. Birds don't need clearance to rise. But in today even a free bird must watch the skies — hawks, vultures, and 'eagles' are always hunting. Freedom isn't free, especially when the predators wear patriotism as feathers," Tagore wrote.- Ends