Congress backs Shashi Tharoor on PM Narendra Modi comments

NEW DELHI: Congress today saw nothing wrong in Shashi Tharoor's latest praise of Narendra Modi as a "master communicator".

AICC spokesman Abhishek Singhvi insisted that Tharoor has instead drawn attention to the "huge hiatus" between the words and deeds of the Prime Minister.

"It is wrong to distort. We should be fair... What is the clear meaning, intent and spirit of what he has said... He has faulted Modi on the huge hiatus between what he says and what he does," Singhvi said.

Tharoor, who had only recently earned the party's wrath for praising Modi, said in his latest remarks that in the Prime Minister "we are all seeing a master communicator at work".

He, however, hit out at BJP for "promoting a nakedly bigoted Hindutva agenda".

Noting that communication has been a major strength of the NDA government, particularly Modi, Tharoor said, "The Prime Minister is very effective in speech-making, comes up with slogans, sound bites, photo ops in quite an unparalleled way.

"There is no question that we are all seeing a master communicator at work. And that has its merits but it is not enough."

He, however, insisted that not much of what Modi has promised has been implemented.

"After all, the people who voted for Modi thought they were voting for a man of action. So far instead of a man of action, the nation has got a man of words and the real question that comes is when these words get translated into results," he had said.

Tharoor has praised Modi quite a few times recently which was frowned upon by Congress. Last year, the former diplomat- turned politician was removed as party spokesperson for praise of Modi.