Amid the buzz of a rift between him and the Congress over his recent praise of certain policies of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led CPI(M) government in Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has put up a cryptic post on X, stating, that being wise is sometimes a mistake.
Sharing a quote from English poet Thomas Gray’s poem ‘Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College’, Mr Tharoor wrote, “Though of the Day: “Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.”
Thought for the day! pic.twitter.com/hXDxn9p0rv
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 22, 2025
Mr Tharoor has been at the receiving end of criticism from Kerala Congress leaders for his praise of some of the CPI(M) government’s policies in the state and the PM’s US visit.
Mr Tharoor defended his praise for PM Modi’s US visit and said that he spoke with India’s interests in mind and that “we cannot always speak only in terms of party interest.” He noted that PM Modi being the fourth world leader to meet Trump after he took office underscored India’s growing importance on the global stage.
Following his praise for Prime Minister Modi, he appreciated the entrepreneurial growth of CPI(M)-led Kerala in an article. The Left party welcomed the Congress MP’s validation, terming Mr Tharoor’s comments as recognition of Pinarayi Vijayan’s administration’s achievements.
“As a Member of Parliament from Kerala, I wrote this article focusing on a specific issue — the transformation of the industrial landscape through the growth of the startup sector. As a Congress worker, I take pride in acknowledging that it was former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who initiated this change,” he wrote in Malayalam.
He credited Chandy’s policies for laying the foundation for Kerala’s startup ecosystem, citing initiatives like the ‘Startup Village’ and the ‘Kerala Startup Mission’, which have been continued by the current government.
Kerala Congress vs Shashi Tharoor
The row escalated after, Veekshanam Daily, the Congress party’s mouthpiece in Kerala, published an editorial criticising Congress leader Shashi Tharoor -without naming him.
It urged him not to betray the expectations of thousands of party workers ahead of the upcoming local body elections.
The strongly worded editorial stated that an anti-incumbency wave was prevalent in the state and that attempts to suppress it by those responsible for fuelling it represented a ‘distorted’ political practice.
A day later, Mr Tharoor withdrew a poster from his Facebook, reportedly from the Kerala Congress Committee, which referred to members of the CPI(M) as “cannibals”.
Hours after sharing the controversial poster commemorating Kripesh and Sarathlal, the Youth Congress workers who were killed in Periya in Kasaragod district, by CPI(M) workers five years ago, Mr Tharoor made another post, sharing their photos but without any reference to the CPI(M).