What Shashi Tharoor’s diplomatic switch holds for Congress in Kerala

Shashi Tharoor is turning the tables on his peers by mastering their game, to prevail upon political allies, religious figures, and caste leaders to speak for him

Although he has accomplished much in public life, Shashi Tharoor is still an accursed politician in his own party, the Indian National Congress. For the Congress leaders in Kerala, he is still a lateral entrant who scaled heights beyond their reach. For the party high command though, his charm in the heydays petered out when he offered himself as a presidential candidate in the party elections. This presented Tharoor with a poser — to reassess where his politics truly belonged: Centre or state?

While running for presidency, Tharoor faced the odious prospect of not finding much support from his home state. Many leaders ridiculed him, some spurned his right to contest, and a sizeable few even reproved him for contesting. One mortifying advice he received was to learn the party mechanism at the root-level. But nothing could sap Tharoor of his confidence.

Kerala, at large, is not Tharoor’s turf yet. He reached the Lok Sabha thrice, all under his own steam. The third win was the acme of his career. He weathered the absence of senior leaders in his campaign through immersive connect with the people at the ground level. All the three wins were more his, than his party’s.

Tharoor may well win a fourth time next year, but the fast depletion of support in both New Delhi and Kerala bodes ill for his prospects. The Congress has levelled itself down at the national level. The high command has been distancing from Tharoor, thanks to the way he approached his presidential candidacy.

So, Tharoor decided to make the switch — to state politics.

Tharoor has his work cut out to establish himself as a state leader. His track record as an able statesman, administrator, and orator will indeed appeal to the general public, especially the apolitical voters who decide the swing in every assembly election in Kerala. There are many in the Congress, who eye the Chief Minister’s chair if the Congress could bring about a surprise in the next assembly election. It is about certain Tharoor cannot become their undisputed choice. But it seems he has decided to put to good use all the diplomacy he acquired over the years.

Religions and castes have deep-rooted influence on Kerala’s polity. Tharoor expends great effort to meet the leaders of all prominent communities, while ensuring his secular credentials are intact, much to the dismay of his fellow leaders. The Nair Service Society (NSS) has always had a liking for the Congress, but the current party leadership has soured that relationship. A decade ago, NSS had forsaken Tharoor, a Nair, through a tart remark that he was a ‘Delhi Nair’. But Tharoor’s diplomacy eventually won when the NSS recompensed and extolled him as one to lead not just the state, but the country. Incidentally, the NSS is also in dire need to cotton up to a pre-eminent political figure to further its own social ambitions. It was a win-win.

Like the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), the Congress also faces flak for overlooking majority sentiments. Senior Congress leader AK Antony recently spoke against mistaking Hinduism for Hindutva. Many Kerala leaders in the Congress are Hindus, but none qualifies as a Hindu leader. Tharoor is no different either, but unlike most, he doesn’t equate Hindutva with Hinduism — he visits temples unapologetically, sports a tilak on his forehead, and invokes his book ‘Why I am a Hindu’ to distinguish between Hindutva and Hinduism. To his added credit, he has been defeating Hindutva proponents continuously in elections, in a Hindu-majority constituency — a feat that none of his peers can claim.

To avoid becoming a star-crossed politician, Tharoor resolved to befriend the major ally of his party — the Muslim League. He received a warm welcome at Panakkad, the power centre of the Muslim League, and despite the commotion it created, the Muslim League could staunchly defend hosting him. Tharoor is turning the tables on his fellow leaders, by mastering their game, to prevail upon political allies, religious figures, and caste leaders to speak for him. He knows the high command cannot ignore their collective voice.

Drawing support from various corners will go as far as strengthening Tharoor’s political image. The major work to gain momentum among the public though, remains largely undone — he needs to question the ruling party. Tharoor is not as acerbic against the CPI(M) as he is against his own partymen. Several of his political positions are also at variance with his party’s.

His ways of consorting with political opponents or eulogising them doesn’t go down well with his followers either. As he upskills for state politics, Tharoor must realise that he can afford to overlook his fellow leaders, but not his followers.

Sreejith Panickar (Twitter: @PanickarS) is a political commentator.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.