I appreciate that I'm seen as the underdog in Congress election: Tharoor

Political career spent defending the values of inclusive India, allegations of disloyalty to Nehru Gandhi family malicious: Congress MP

Shashi Tharoor is a three-time member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, former international civil servant, and a well-known author. Tharoor is contesting the Congress’s presidential election and believes that the party will have to fix its organisational deficiencies as it works on a vision for the nation. He spoke to Shine Jacob about his vision for the party, loyalty towards the Nehru Gandhi family, senior leaders opposing his candidature and opponents accusing him of not speaking Hindi.

Edited excerpts from an interview:

How do you see the possibilities of your victory? Where do you see the support coming from?

I have never contested an election without seeking to win. A hat trick of victories from Thiruvananthapuram, a seat won by the Left in two consecutive elections prior to my arrival, will tell you that my results have so far vindicated that approach. I appreciate that I am widely seen as the underdog in this race, and that many people believe the establishment will come together to defend their own entrenched interests in the status quo. But sometimes one must have the courage of one’s convictions to do the right thing, whatever people consider the likely outcome.

The feedback that my campaign has elicited from ordinary Congressmen and women from across the country has been incredibly positive and even effusive. It has been humbling to hear calls of support from party workers from around the country. The rising groundswell of support is evident, whether through phone calls, on social media, or in person, as seen during the rousing reception I have received in several places. I have, through my candidacy, sought to become a voice for the average Congress worker and the majority of those who have reached out have done so because they believe in my vision for the party and that my candidacy offers a certain change to our current functioning. The majority of those who have signed my nomination papers are ordinary, and for the most part young, Congress workers who are seeking a reformed and revitalised Indian National Congress. I can only pay back their moving support by putting in my best forward during the campaign which I fully intend on doing so.

A key issue is the secrecy of the ballot. Some workers have been “instructed” by certain netas to vote a certain way and are worried about consequences if they do not. I am urging all to vote their true preference since the Election Authority will ensure that no one will know who voted how and where. Prior to my entering the fray I have been assured by the Congress President as well as former president Rahul Gandhi that they welcome a free and fair election, they will themselves stay neutral and will not back any “official candidate”.

Your opponents question your loyalty towards the Nehru Gandhi family. What is your response to such observations?

They do so either maliciously—to spread discontent and disarray within the electoral process—or out of sheer ignorance. Is my act of contesting these elections a sign of disloyalty? If so why would Rahul Gandhi refuse to heed calls from certain leaders when they asked him to get me to withdraw from this election? I have spent a lifetime advocating personal beliefs that are also among the core convictions of the Congress party: my writings and books, including a biography that is also a tribute to Nehru’s legacy, speak of my profound commitment to a pluralist vision of India, And the entirety of my innings in Indian politics has been spent defending the values of Inclusive India, in Parliament and before the public. Can any one of these voices look at their own (much longer) tenures in the party and truthfully claim that they have defended and furthered the core ideology of the party even half as much?

What will be your strategy in reviving Congress, if you are elected as the next president?

The immediate priority that must be addressed, whosoever is elected, is to develop and implement a roadmap that will allow the party to find a way to appeal beyond the 19 per cent of the electorate that voted for the party in both 2014 and 2019. The party has to attract those who did not vote for it in those two elections and drifted away to the BJP, most of whom did so for reasons other than Hindutva. This would require a leader who, while anchored in the history of the party, looks beyond the past to speak to the aspirations of young India—one who firmly believes the party can set the country on the route to a better society, one that is ready to take on the opportunities offered by the world of the 21st century. The challenge, therefore, for the Congress is twofold: We need to both articulate a positive and aspirational vision for the nation as well as work to fix the organisational and structural deficiencies that have impeded our recent efforts.

To my mind the answer lies in a combination of effective leadership and organisational reform. We must re-imagine the organisational culture in the party to decentralise authority and truly empower the grassroots office-bearers of the party. Delegating powers to state leaders and empowering grassroots workers will not only free the new leader from the onerous burdens of over-administration but also help create the strong state leadership that in past eras strengthened the Congress’s national appeal.

I believe that a fresh leader, who has not been jaded by being entrenched within the current system for too long, could do both—energise a party that certainly needs it and at the same time, appeal to more voters than the Congress managed to during the last few elections. I believe that I can be that leader for the party.

Another cause of concern is that you are not coming from a Hindi-speaking state. Will this turn out to be a roadblock for you in the upcoming elections, competing against an ‘official’ candidate?

As I said, the Congress President, Rahul Gandhi and the Chairperson of the party’s Central Election Authority have clarified that there is no ‘official candidate’ who is backed by the Party or the High Command. Of the two candidates in the fray, neither I nor my respected opponent hails from a Hindi-speaking state. But that is, in any case, beside the point—is it written anywhere that the Congress President must be from a Hindi-speaking state? On the contrary the Congress has, in its rich history, had several instances when the party was helmed by leaders from the southern states—Kamaraj ji, S. Nijalingappa, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Narasimha Rao, to name a few—and from other states where Hindi is not the native language.

Of course I acknowledge the reality that in Indian politics today to be successful at a national level a capability of speaking Hindi is necessary. And whether it is in my speeches in and outside Parliament, or in my interactions with the media or in public events, I have shown that I can sufficiently do so and that the language has not been a roadblock in any of these instances.

Among those entitled to vote, some were reportedly not even having proper contact numbers. What will be your strategy in solving such issues during your campaign? Will you try to directly get in touch with all your voters, is it possible?

That has been a challenge, and though we have been given a list of contact numbers on Wednesday, some of them have turned out to be invalid. Such glitches are inevitable and I do not attribute any malice to anyone. My team and I are utilizing a number of channels to convey my message to the voting delegates, including by sending out letters, making the campaign manifesto publicly available, video appeals, and in many cases by literally picking up the phone and dialling delegates from across the country. No effort is being spared to reach out to the delegates. If all else fails to reach individual delegates, then I hope my interviews in the media will be seen and heard by those whom we could not directly contact. And we rely also on word of mouth to spread the word.

What is your opinion on not getting enough support from your home state, with even A K Antony and other key leaders opposing your candidature?

It does not bother me that many senior leaders have chosen to either support Kharge directly or not back me. It is hardly a surprise that those at the top do not welcome change from below!! I am seeking to represent the average Congress worker who is seeking change and reform, and recognizes that “business as usual” will not take our party forward. Riding on the back of their widespread support, I am glad to move on with an election process that in my view will only strengthen the party.

What are your views on support coming from young Congress workers across the country?

I can only thank them and pay back their moving support by putting in my best forward during the campaign. I will not let them down.