Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has widened an internal rift by repeatedly departing from the party line on national issues. In a 23 June article for The Hindu, he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s energy and willingness to engage abroad a “prime asset” for India, arguing that the diplomatic outreach after April’s counter-terror Operation Sindoor succeeded because the country spoke with one voice. The praise came as the Congress leadership has been attacking the government’s foreign policy. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge publicly rebuked Tharoor on 25 June, remarking that “for some people, Modi comes first,” while other party colleagues accused the four-term MP of echoing Bharatiya Janata Party talking points. Kerala-based leaders, including Ramesh Chennithala and Manickam Tagore, questioned his motives and warned that his statements were undermining the party’s stance. Tensions escalated on 10 July when Tharoor published a fresh column in The Hindu describing the 1975 Emergency as an “erosion of freedom” and criticising the role of Sanjay Gandhi. The piece prompted fresh backlash from Congress figures who said the assessment mirrored BJP rhetoric and showed a lack of solidarity with the party’s history. On the same day, Tharoor shared an independent Vote Vibe survey indicating that 28.3 % of respondents favour him as the United Democratic Front’s chief-ministerial candidate for the 2026 Kerala election. Senior Congress leaders dismissed the poll as “manufactured,” but the move stoked speculation that Tharoor is positioning himself for a larger role outside the party’s current hierarchy.