New Delhi. Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday described Rahul Gandhi as the “man of the match” of the Lok Sabha elections and said that he should take up the responsibility of the leader of the opposition. Tharoor, who was elected from Thiruvananthapuram for the fourth consecutive time in the Lok Sabha elections, said in an interview to PTI-Bhasha that the message of the mandate is that the voters have rejected the “extreme arrogance” of the BJP and its attitude of “take my word or go the other way”.
Regarding the next NDA government, he said, “It will be a challenge for Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, who are not used to much consultation in running their government and I think it will be a test of their ability to change their way of working and make more adjustments within the government.” He hoped that the government will be more accommodating with the opposition as well.
The former Union minister said that this time the Modi-led NDA government may prove to be a ‘compelled government’ on some issues as the parties that are part of this alliance will have to agree on everything. Tharoor said, “Already the ‘Agneepath’ scheme is being questioned by one party. It is being said that it should be reviewed. This idea has been supported by JD (U) and Chirag Paswan’s party. Many leaders in both Andhra Pradesh and Bihar have demanded special state status for their states, which the BJP government has so far refused. This too will have to be looked at again.” Tharoor said that now this government will have to bring a more consensual model of governance.
I don’t think I will contest the next Lok Sabha elections: Tharoor
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Friday that if the next Lok Sabha elections are held after five years, he does not see himself in the electoral fray because he believes that everyone should leave space for the youth. Tharoor defeated Union Minister of State for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar by a margin of 16,077 votes in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat and registered his fourth consecutive victory from the constituency.
Asked if this election was his last stint in electoral politics, Tharoor told PTI, “Not electoral politics, but certainly Lok Sabha. I think I have done my job and I honestly feel that at some point we all need to feel that we have to leave space for the youth.” He said, “Lok Sabha is definitely a very important institution. I have tried my best for my voters and I will continue to do so, but there are many ways to serve in public life… I think if elections are held five years from now, I definitely do not want to go to Lok Sabha again.” Tharoor said that there are still five years to serve and he is committed to giving his best efforts in this term for the people he represents.