Day after Sonia Gandhi's reprimand, Shashi Tharoor gets handsome praise from PM Modi

NEW DELHI: PM Modi has once again moved deftly to lob Congress MP Shashi Tharoor as his convenient ball for another political ping pong with the Congress leadership. Speaking at a function in Parliament on Thursday, Modi praised Tharoor for his widely appreciated speech at the Oxford debate.

But the fact Modi’s praise came just a day after Sonia Gandhi ticked off Tharoor for preferring discussion to disruption in Parliament left none in doubt about the political intent of the PM’s compliment.

“Whatever Shashi Tharoor said in the Oxford debate went viral on YouTube. Emotion of an Indian was reflected in his speech at Oxford,” Modi said with a smile while speaking at the inauguration of Speaker’s Research Initiative for Parliamentarians, with Tharoor seated at the front row. Others in the audience comprised LK Advani and many senior NDA ministers and MPs.

When reporters asked for his reaction to the PM’s praise of Tharoor, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “What is the big deal? The prime minister had also praised me the other day at a Jammu function. Ours (NDA’s and Congress’) is not personal differences but over politics and ideology.”