'Don't ask permission to fly,' says Tharoor amid Congress rift

Amid a rift with his own party leaders, Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday posted a famous quote on X after he was slammed by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

'Don't ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one,' Tharoor posted.

This post was a dig at Congress for repeatedly targeting him due to frequent praises of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The quote implied that an individual should always be encouraged to pursue his goals without seeking approval from others.



Earlier on Wednesday, Kharge slammed Tharoor for calling PM Modi a "prime asset for India on the global stage", saying that "for some people, Modi comes first".

"I can’t read English, but his language is very good, that’s why we made him a member of the party's working committee. Bit what I want to say is that all of us, the entire opposition, have come together and said we stand with our Army, our Army that is fighting, we are with them."

Tharoor, who recently led an all-party delegation abroad for India's Operation Sindoor outreach, clarified that his remarks during the delegation were statements of national unity, interest and standing up for India.

He also clarified that his recent article praising Modi's diplomatic efforts under Operation Sindoor should not be misconstrued as an indication of his leaping to join the BJP.