Tharoor Defends His Praise For Advani, Cites Nehru And Indira To Urge Fair Judgement

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor defended his birthday tribute to BJP veteran LK Advani, after critics questioned his praise by referencing the controversial Rath Yatra that preceded the Babri Masjid demolition. Responding on X, Tharoor said it was unjust to assess Advani’s decades of service through one incident. He compared this to judging Jawaharlal Nehru solely for the China conflict or Indira Gandhi only for the Emergency, urging for “the same courtesy” toward Advani. Lawyer Sanjay Hegde had rebuked Tharoor’s remarks, recalling Khushwant Singh’s criticism of Advani for sowing “the dragon seeds of hatred.” Tharoor, however, maintained that Advani’s contributions to India’s political evolution went beyond one episode. In his birthday post, Tharoor shared an old