'We should be a party of ... ': Shashi Tharoor's message to Congress on way forward

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and party MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said that the grand-old-party should represent hope and positivity instead of resentment and criticism.
"The Congress must be a party of hope, not of resentment; a party of positivity not only of negativism, a party of the future not just of the past, a party with a positive narrative and not just criticism. I hope we will leave here with a resounding message to the nation, that we are here, we will fight, we will be resolved, we will focuss on the future and we will build a better India for all," Tharoor said at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) session which is being held pn the banks of the Sabarmati river, the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhai Patel.
"Here in Gujarat where we have been out of power for three decades, we stand on the brink of a new revival and that is a moment of celebration for all of us here. 2024 has given us both good news and bad news -- a good result in the Lok Sabha elections where we doubled our strength but bad news in a number of state elections that followed," the Congress Working Committee (CWC) member said.
"We need to retain and restore the votes we have won before but we have failed to win in the last three elections and that is where this resolution leads us. It is a resolution in which we express constructive criticism and not mere unrelenting negativity," he said, discussing the party's resolution at the Ahmedabad session.

Tharoor also highlighted the need to reach out to the marginalised sections of the society and said, "Our nationalism is anchored in the well-being of all our people. It is anchored in a sense of social justice for the weakest in our society. A major theme of this resolution is protecting the weak, the marginalised, the OBCs, SCs, STs, those who have been left out of the great adventure of building our nation."
The Thiruvananthpuram MP recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons as he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies, not once but several times, despite warnings from the Congress leading to speculations that he was unhappy with the leadership.
He first complimented the NDA government for US President Donald Trump's invite to PM Modi. He then praised PM Modi's diplomacy in Russia-Ukraine conflict. This was followed by praise for the NDA government's vaccine diplomacy during the Covid.
However, at the AICC session, Tharoor slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for trying to divide the country into north and south.
"As our Constitution makes clear, it doesn't matter what language you speak, which state you come from, what religion you profess, what caste you belong to, you are an Indian and the Constitution ensures that you have the same rights as every other Indian. That is what always the Congress has stood for," the Congress MP said.
Tharoor said the idea of India is that one can be a good Gujarati, a good Muslim and a good Indian all at once and that the 'inclusive' Congress party. "We understand the variety, the pluralism of India. We all come from different parts of this great country. But we understand standing here that you can be a good Gujarati, a good Muslim and a good Indian all at once," he said.
"I proudly say that I am from South India and I say too, 'Nafrat Chhorho Bharat jodo' (leave hate behind and unite India), he said. "When we hear the name of Bharat, our hearts should swell with pride; when we hear the name of Kerala, our blood should throb in our veins," Tharoor added.
Tharoor's push for positive politics found reflection in the suggestions of party's former spokesperson Sanjay Jha. In an exclusive interaction with TOI.com, Sanjay Jha had advised the Congress to announce a shadow cabinet for key portfolios so that the voters could compare the current govt policies with that of a potential opposition cabinet. The former Congressman had also suggested showcasing one of the party ruled states as a model of development.
As the Congress mulls the way forward, it remains to be seen if the grand-old-party is ready for a course correction.