Shashi Tharoor reveals why he praised PM Modi’s meeting with Donald Trump

Defending his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his meeting with US President Donald Trump, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said the PM spoke with India's interests in mind and his US visit had yielded some positive outcomes for the Indian people.

Welcoming the agreement to hold trade and tariff negotiations over the next nine months, Tharoor said: "It's far better than Washington hastily and unilaterally imposing tariffs on us, which could have hurt our exports. To my mind, something good has been achieved, and I applaud that as an Indian. We can't always speak only in terms of party interests. I am not a party spokesman."

Emphasising that as an elected MP from Thiruvananthapuram, he speaks as a responsible stakeholder in Indian democracy and on behalf of those who have placed their trust in him to exercise his judgment and speak fairly and freely on certain issues.

"In this particular case, I am speaking solely in the national interest," Tharoor added.

He also said that Modi being the fourth world leader to meet Trump after he took office underscored India's growing importance on the global stage.

Pointing out that Modi’s visit left some questions unanswered, the Congress MP said the issue of how illegal immigrants were returned to India was not addressed.

"Did PM Modi raise it behind closed doors? In diplomacy, not everything is laid out publicly," Tharoor said.

The Congress leader further said throughout his 16-year political career, his approach has remained consistent; acknowledging and praising good governance, regardless of the party in power, while also criticising when necessary.

"When someone in government, whether from the Congress or any other party, does something right, it should be acknowledged and praised. When they do something wrong, it should be criticised," he said.

"I have done both—I have praised and I have criticised. In fairness, I base my stance on facts. That I believe is the right approach."