'Liability, not asset' for India: Tariq Anwar counters Shashi Tharoor's praise of PM Modi

New Delhi, June 24 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and MP Tariq Anwar on Tuesday strongly opposed fellow party lawmaker Shashi Tharoor’s recent remarks describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "prime asset for India".

Dismissing the statement as a personal opinion, Anwar claimed that far from being an asset, PM Modi has become a "liability" for the country.

Speaking to IANS, Tariq Anwar stated: "There has been no discussion within the party on Shashi Tharoor's comments, and what he has written in the article is his individual view. If the party chooses to respond, the matter may even reach the disciplinary committee."

Criticising PM Modi's governance and foreign policy, Anwar said: "Even if in Tharoor’s view the Prime Minister is an asset, for the common people of India, he has become a liability. From economic management to national security, he has failed across the board. His foreign policy, once hyped as a major strength, has now been exposed — we are standing alone on the world stage. A nation aspiring to become a Vishwa Guru now finds itself isolated."

He further raised concerns about national security.

“Terrorists entered our territory with ease. We have failed to identify or catch them. This is a clear failure of this government’s approach to national security. From economy to diplomacy to internal security, the PM Modi government has underperformed in every field.”

Anwar further praised Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil for resigning after the party's defeat in the recent bypolls, calling it a positive precedent.

"The step taken by Shaktisinh Gohil is a commendable one. This is the kind of accountability we need in the Congress party. When Rahul Gandhi lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he too accepted moral responsibility and stepped down as party President — despite unanimous requests from the party for him to continue. He stood firm and did not return to the post, even under internal pressure. If he can take responsibility, then why not other party leaders like us," he told IANS.

On the news that Rahul Gandhi has been invited by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to clarify his concerns regarding the fairness of the previous Maharashtra Assembly elections, Anwar said: "The party will deliberate on this. Rahul Gandhi will assess whether the ECI’s response is satisfactory. If not, he is fully prepared to meet the ECI — he has nothing to hide and no fear."

Responding to criticism of Rahul Gandhi’s foreign visits, Anwar took a sharp jab at PM Modi’s international travel record.

"If we compare the number of trips taken by Rahul Gandhi to those of the Prime Minister, it becomes evident who is more frequently abroad. In fact, it became a joke at one point that the Prime Minister was ‘returning to India’ because he was always abroad. His foreign visits are incredibly expensive, running into crores and billions of rupees, but what tangible benefit has the nation received from them? Nothing so far," he claimed.

--IANS

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