Tharoor's Emergency Article Puts Congress in the Spot. Shashi Tharoor has landed Congress in another embarrassing situation with his blunt criticism of the 1975 Emergency, directly holding Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi responsible for what he calls "unspeakable cruelty" during those 21 months.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP's article in Project Syndicate pulls no punches in describing the human rights violations under Emergency rule - forced sterilisations, brutal slum clearances, torture in custody, and extrajudicial killings. When Malayalam daily Deepika translated and published the piece on Thursday, it sent shockwaves through Kerala's Congress circles.
Kerala Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan refused to take a position on Tharoor's explosive article when cornered by reporters in Kochi. "I have an opinion about it, which I keep to myself," he said, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
Satheesan's evasive response revealed the party's dilemma. Nobody wants to defend the Emergency's excesses, but criticising a Working Committee member publicly would worsen internal rifts. His solution: punt the issue to the All India Congress Committee.
Tharoor's article doesn't mince words about Sanjay Gandhi's role in the Emergency's worst abuses. He describes how forced vasectomy targeted the poor and rural communities, with "coercion and violence" used to meet government quotas. The slum demolitions in Delhi that left thousands homeless also get detailed treatment.
But Tharoor's sharpest barb targets his party colleagues. He writes that these atrocities were "later downplayed as unfortunate excesses" - a clear shot at Congress leaders who have spent decades avoiding uncomfortable truths about the Emergency.
This isn't Tharoor's first recent controversy. Last month, he shared a survey showing himself as Kerala's most preferred chief ministerial candidate, upstaging current leaders. The timing couldn't have been worse, coming when state Congress was dealing with internal squabbles over leadership credit.
Earlier, Tharoor drew criticism for praising Modi's diplomatic moves, prompting Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to take a dig at those who put "Modi first, country later." Tharoor's cryptic response about flying without permission only fueled speculation about his relationship with the high command.
The Emergency remains a poisoned field to Congress, particularly now that the BJP has begun to commemorate June 25 as a day of the Constitution Murder. As the party attempts to block the BJP's arguments concerning authoritarianism, Tharoor refreshes the adversary with an open critique.
His article cautions against the concentration of power and suppressing critics, a topic that can easily be used against Congress based on the current political environment. The move comes at an especially awkward time as Kerala goes to the polls next year in local body elections and in 2026 in the assembly elections.
For now, Congress appears to be hoping this controversy dies down without forcing a public confrontation with Tharoor. But his pattern of provocative statements suggests more trouble ahead.
The party faces an impossible choice: defend the Emergency's legacy and look hypocritical, or acknowledge Tharoor's points and validate criticism of Indira Gandhi. Either way, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram has once again put his party in an uncomfortable position just when it needs unity most.
