Congress uneasy over PM Modi’s Swachh Bharat invite to Sashi Tharoor

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to Shashi Tharoor among nine select persons to act as brand ambassadors of ' Swachh Bharat' campaign has triggered unease in Congress, the prime reason being the Kerala MP's effusive praise for Modi since the Lok Sabha election.

Just why the PM should single out Tharoor in the vast political class has led to speculation. While Congress did not officially react to the public invite extended on Gandhi Jayanti, party managers were wary of the intent.

There is a realization that stopping the MP is tricky as it could lead to allegations of Congress playing politics with a noble cause.

Tharoor himself complimented the PM on the 'Clean India' campaign and accepted the invite to join it. However, Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla said the PM should have invited all political leaders and not just one person, even though he said he did not want to read politics in it.

What makes the otherwise innocuous issue intriguing is Tharoor's 'bipartisanship' since BJP's ascent to power. The MP from Thiruvananthapuram praised Modi for being "inclusive" just a month after he took office, dubbing him Modi 2.0, forcing the Congress to dissociate itself from the certificate to the arch-rival.

The comment invited a sharp rebuke from Rajya Sabha MP and Gandhi family loyalist Mani Shankar Aiyar who said Tharoor's comments showed he had defected to BJP.

Tharoor's comments on the PM's speech at the UNGA were also watched carefully by insiders.

Many feel the high-profile diplomat-turned-politician could be vulnerable because of his brush with law, now that BJP has come to power.