Anti-incumbency mood, corruption scandals and discord within the party were some of the reasons that contributed to the defeat of the Congress party in the recent Lok Sabha elections, Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP and chair of the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs said. Tharoor was speaking at a Sept. 25 reception hosted by the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) at Utsav Restaurant in New York City.
However, everything is not lost for the Congress party and could still come back to power in five years, Tharoor noted. The 58-year-old is one of the few senior leaders to visit the U.S. after the defeat of the Congress in the elections, an INOC press release said.
Speaking about India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity, Tharoor said, Modi has great oratorical skills, but his words are not matched by deeds or facts. But at the same time we should distinguish between a prime minister and his party. “We support the prime minister and his vision for the government, but we oppose his political vision,” Tharoor said.
Tharoor also noted the success of Mangalyan, and termed it as the fruit of the vision of Nehru. He also praised the work of the INOC over the years in U.S. and urged everyone to get involved and make a difference.
INOC Chairman George Abraham, President Juned Qazi and Karnataka Chapter President Dr. Dayan Naik also spoke at the event, while General Secretary Harbacan Singh welcomed the guests.
Mohinder Singh Gilzian, senior vice president gave the vote of thanks. Kerala Chapter President R. Jayachandran honored Tharoor with a tri-color shawl and Maliini Shah, Sabinal Ali and Sonia Sodhi presented him with bouquet of flowers. A plaque was presented to Arun Kumar Chodha by Tharoor honoring him for the service to the community.
This story originally appeared on News India Times.
