Jay Panda, who is the BJP vice president, said they were ‘finally travelling in the same direction’, drawing a swift clarification from Shashi Tharoor.
BJP leader Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda’s cryptic post along with a selfie with Shashi Tharoor has sparked a buzz in political circles, adding to the tensions between the Congress MP and the grand old party. Panda, who is the BJP vice president, said they were “finally travelling in the same direction”, drawing a swift clarification from Tharoor, well aware of the recent string of controversies.
“Fellow traveller only to Bhubaneswar! I am addressing the Kalinga LitFest tomorrow morning. And coming right back,” Tharoor tweeted.
The development comes at a time when Tharoor’s recent praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic strategies and selfies with BJP leaders have put the Congress in a tight spot.
Last month, Tharoor posted a selfie with Union Minister Piyush Goyal and praised the government for reviving the long-stalled free trade agreement (FTA) with the UK.
The former UN diplomat-turned-politician also lauded the outcome of PM Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump, underlining that several major concerns had been addressed.
“I am still wiping the egg off my face because… I criticised the Indian position in February 2022… the policy has meant that India actually has a prime minister who can hug both the president of Ukraine and the president in Moscow two weeks apart and be accepted in both places,” Tharoor said while speaking at the Raisina Dialogue.
The BJP pounced on Tharoor’s remarks to take a dig at the Congress, saying it would leave Rahul Gandhi “red-faced”.
The string of developments comes amid rumours that Tharoor was unhappy on being sidelined in the Congress. Last month, Rahul Gandhi held a closed-door meeting with the four-term Thiruvananthapuram MP in Delhi.
Even though Tharoor has denied speculation of him jumping ship, the leader has asserted that he had “other options”.
