‘What about Barack Obama, Narendra Modi?’: Shashi Tharoor defends Rahul Gandhi after Ramchandra Guha’s criticism | Today’s news

Congress president Shashi Tharoor on Saturday hit back at historian and author Ramchandra Guha who recently criticized Rahul Gandhi, arguing that he did not have the curriculum vitae (CV) to become the prime minister. In a post on X, Tharoor said Guha’s criticism was “a little too much” and claimed that Rahul had led the national party for a dozen years.

Tharoor was reacting to Guha’s recent comment questioning Rahul’s credentials to be projected as the prime ministerial face of the Congress.

“What happens if there is a crisis in the Persian Gulf? How will he deal with it? If China attacks … what has he done to show that, as prime minister, he can deal with a serious and complex situation with composure?” asked Guha.

“What was Barack Obama’s experience in world affairs when he became the president of the most powerful country in the world when it was dealing with many global issues?” Tharoor said in his reply.

The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram also asked how much international exposure Prime Minister Narendra Modi had before 2014.

“How much international involvement did the CM of Gujarat have to manage India’s international relations?” he asked.

Tharoor, who served as the Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Human Resource Development in the Congress-led UPA government, also claimed that the controversy surrounding Rahul Gandhi’s credentials was exaggerated.

“Rahul Gandhi has led the National Party for a dozen years. He has extensive contacts with leaders around the world and has no shortage of advisers inside and outside his party. No president or prime minister can handle a crisis alone; that’s why he heads the government! I think it’s time to end this excessive polemic,” he said.

Tharoor’s comments came almost a month after he praised Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the BJP’s big victory in the West Bengal and Assam assembly elections, saying they were “very good at conducting elections”.

“They (PM Modi and HM Amit Shah) have done a good job in Bengal and Assam, partly because they are very good at conducting elections. They are professionally organized. They have strong organizational power. They have put a lot of resources into their campaign, including financial resources,” Tharoor said.

“There are things we can all learn from this. I just hope their message will unite Indians and not divide them,” he added.