Shashi Tharoor’s BJP Affection and the Sunanda Murder Case! : T.V. Somu

Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Local Body Election Win for the BJP

“A clear mandate from the people! Through this, the democratic spirit of the state shines brightly”: This joyful, emotional, and enthusiastically leaping figure is not Modi or Amit Shah… but Shashi Tharoor, the Member of Parliament for the Congress Party!

What is even more surprising is that he is the sitting Congress MP for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, which includes the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.

Praising Advani: Earlier, in November, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor released a statement praising senior BJP leader Advani on his birthday. Not only that, he caused a shock by praising Advani for “correcting the mistakes made by Nehru and Indira.”

Controversial Stance on Balakot: Prior to that, Shashi Tharoor was part of the groups sent worldwide to explain India’s action against Pakistan. While in America, he said, “India did not stop the attack because US President Trump told them to… it stopped on its own.”

Trump himself had claimed credit for stopping the war.Indian Union Prime Minister Modi remained silent.Congress’s Rahul Gandhi severely criticized this. Furthermore, he had alleged that “our country had already informed that country about the attack beforehand.”Supporting Modi: In this context, Tharoor speaking in favor of the BJP’s Modi sparked a major controversy.

Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge criticized Shashi Tharoor, saying, “We were together in Operation Sindoor. We said, ‘Country First.’ But some people say ‘Modi First’ and only after that, the country.”

Tharoor did not retract his statement.

Criticism of the Emergency: Similarly, in July, Shashi Tharoor wrote an article about the Emergency in the Malayalam daily Deepika. He harshly criticized Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi, writing that “the Emergency was a dark period in our nation’s history.”Congress members expressed strong opposition to this.

Even those outside the party raised the question: “The Emergency was a terrible period indeed. But the current BJP Union Government is employing oppression without officially declaring an Emergency. What is the necessity of discussing the 1975 Emergency without addressing the current situation?”

Praising Modi’s International Image: In June, in The Hindu newspaper, Shashi Tharoor praised PM Modi, stating, “Prime Minister Modi’s energy, dynamism, engagement, and enthusiasm are a major asset to India on the world stage.”

Praising Foreign Policy: Even before this, in a video released on his X (formerly Twitter) page in 2023, he praised Modi, saying, “Modi’s relationship with Islamic nations is an excellent example. Previously, our relationship with Muslim nations was not this great.”Contesting for Party President: There was another incident in 2022. He contested against Kharge for the post of Congress National President. This is democracy and is welcome. However, upon losing the election, he made unsubstantiated accusations to the effect that “the election process itself was flawed.” This also drew opposition from the Congress side.

In total, Shashi Tharoor continues to criticize the Congress Party and praise the BJP-Modi government. Now, he has spoken with great glee about the BJP capturing the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, which falls under his parliamentary constituency.

The Shift in Stance

Yes, he was initially a fierce critic of the BJP and Modi.

However, as soon as the BJP formed the government at the Centre, he began to praise them. In 2014, Shashi Tharoor wrote an article in an American news website: “Union Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a reviled figure before the elections. Now he is transforming himself into a symbol of modernization and progress.”

He made this assessment just two months after Modi took office!

At the same time, in his 2018 book, ‘The Paradoxical Prime Minister: Narendra Modi and His India’, he criticized Modi. He made accusations based on accurate, government-released data about the incidents that occurred since Modi took office in 2014.

The book’s cover art was particularly striking: a picture of Modi adjusting his own wax statue displayed in the London Museum. This powerfully conveyed what the book said inside: that Narendra Modi attempts to foreground himself in everything.The same Shashi Tharoor later wrote the book ‘An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India’, which details the destruction, exploitation, and negative consequences caused by British rule in India. Shashi Tharoor was delighted to personally present this book to Modi. This happened in 2016.

However, his ambivalence, alternating between criticism and support, began in 2014 when the BJP formed the government. Slowly, it shifted to an ardent pro-Modi – pro-BJP stance. He remains firm in that position to this day. We saw incidents related to this at the beginning of the article.

What is the Reason for Shashi Tharoor’s Change?

One view is that “Shashi Tharoor wanted to be the Congress President, but Sonia Gandhi fielded Kharge and ensured his victory. Shashi Tharoor wanted to be declared the Chief Ministerial candidate for Kerala, which did not happen. This is why Shashi Tharoor, while remaining in the Congress, openly and continuously supports the BJP.”
This is not correct.
Shashi Tharoor had already begun to praise Modi and the BJP even before the incidents related to the two reasons mentioned above took place.
Therefore, not being able to become the Congress President or the Chief Ministerial candidate for Kerala are not the reasons for Shashi Tharoor’s change.

Then, what is the reason?

His shift came after the mysterious death of his third wife, Sunanda Pushkar.

We need to look into this in a little more detail.The Sunanda Pushkar Case

2010: Shashi Tharoor married his girlfriend Sunanda Pushkar. This was the third marriage for both.
Initial Controversy: Within a few months, a problem began. Sunanda Pushkar accused Shashi Tharoor of having a relationship with Mehr Tarar, a female journalist from Pakistan. She expressed her anguish on her X platform page.
- Sunanda also accused Mehr Tarar of being a “Pakistani ISI agent” and following her. Mehr denied this, calling it “absurd.” Within a few hours, the tweets were deleted from Sunanda’s social media page.
Sunanda’s Death: The very next day, on January 18, 2014, Sunanda Pushkar was found mysteriously dead in a room on the third floor of the Leela Palace five-star hotel in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area.

Police Investigation: Upon receiving this information, Shashi Tharoor filed a complaint with the Delhi Police, who immediately went to the scene and recovered the body. They examined the phone calls Sunanda received while staying at the hotel, the hotel’s CCTV cameras, and interviewed hotel staff.
Post-mortem Findings: Sunanda’s body was taken to AIIMS, Delhi for a post-mortem. The medical team conducting the autopsy stated, “It appears to be an unnatural death. There were fifteen injuries on her body. A large amount of Alprazolam was found in her stomach. The mark of an injection and some bite marks raised suspicion.”

Allegation of Coercion: Subsequently, Sudhir Gupta, the head of the doctor team that examined Sunanda’s body, caused a sensation by stating, “Higher officials pressured me to state in the post-mortem report that Sunanda Pushkar died of natural causes and took the report.” (He was subsequently removed from his post as Head of the Forensic Department at AIIMS.)
Police Commissioner’s Statement: In January 2015, the then Delhi Police Commissioner, B.S. Bassi, said, “Sunanda did not commit suicide. It appears to be murder.”
- Complaints were sent to the Union Health Ministry and the Vigilance Commission regarding this.
- Following this, the Union Health Ministry ordered AIIMS to submit a report regarding Dr. Gupta’s complaint. Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi also said, “To get to the truth in this matter, Dr. Sudhir Gupta will be questioned, and his views will be obtained.”
Servant’s Testimony: The testimony of Shashi Tharoor’s servant, Narayanan, also caused a stir. He said, “Sunanda was depressed because of the closeness between Shashi Tharoor and the Pakistani journalist Mehr.”
- He also stated, “Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda used to fight frequently. One day in Dubai, a fight that started at noon continued until early morning the next day. At that time, Sunanda attacked him, and Shashi Tharoor’s leg was injured.”
- He also described the events of January 17, 2014, the day Sunanda allegedly died: “Two days before that, Sunanda was staying at the Leela Palace hotel in Delhi. Shashi Tharoor was in Delhi but did not come to the hotel. However, the two frequently fought over the phone.”
- “Meanwhile, a person named Sunil came to meet Sunanda. At that time, Sunanda called Shashi Tharoor and mockingly said, ‘Sunil has finished everything.’ It’s possible Sunil provided Sunanda with hacked information from Shashi Tharoor’s mobile phone.”
- “On the morning of January 17, Shashi Tharoor called me. He said, ‘Sunanda is unwell; she hasn’t eaten properly. She is sleeping in the room; wake her up.’ Accordingly, I went to the bedroom. I woke Sunanda; she did not get up. When I brought the doctor and checked, they said she had died.”
Escalation: Delhi Police Commissioner Bassi increased the tension by saying, “We will be able to provide concrete information in the Sunanda murder case in the next two or three days.”
Subramanian Swamy’s Accusation: Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy tweeted: “Shashi Tharoor, who was a Union Minister, stayed with the female journalist Mehr Tarar, who is connected to Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, for 3 nights in Dubai. Someone has testified about this.”

Subsequent Developments Under the BJP Government

Now, the BJP government is in power.

FBI Report: Sunanda’s viscera samples were sent to Washington for testing. Forensic experts from the US investigative agency, the FBI, stated that “Sunanda’s death is unlikely to be a murder.”
2018 Charge Sheet: In 2018, the Delhi Police filed a charge sheet with Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh at the Patiala House Court.
- It stated that “Sunanda Pushkar’s death is not murder. However, her husband, Shashi Tharoor, tortured her and instigated her to commit suicide,” and a case was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 306 (Abetment of suicide) and 498A (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty).
Acquittal and Appeal: Fearing arrest, Shashi Tharoor filed an application for anticipatory bail. While the case was ongoing, the Delhi Special Court acquitted Shashi Tharoor in August 2021. The Delhi Police appealed this to the High Court, where the case is currently pending.

Conclusion and Key Points

Sequence of Events: Sunanda’s mysterious death occurred during Shashi Tharoor’s tenure as a Union Minister. The house servant reports continuous fights between them. The AIIMS doctor claims he was coerced to provide a post-mortem certificate stating it was a suicide. He was later dismissed. Although Shashi Tharoor was acquitted by the Special Court, the case is currently pending in the High Court.
Timeline: The major part of the Sunanda death case unfolds after the BJP came to power in 2014. For a while, Shashi Tharoor spoke harshly about the BJP and Modi.

Personal Attacks: In the same Sunanda affair, Modi and Shashi Tharoor also attacked each other personally.
- Modi personally taunted Shashi Tharoor using his wife, calling Sunanda a “₹50 crore girlfriend” to provoke him.
- In response, Shashi Tharoor personally criticized Modi, saying, “You will only know the value of love if you have a girlfriend.”
- It is noteworthy that this incident took place in 2012, before the BJP took power at the Centre. After this, Shashi Tharoor began to praise Modi and the BJP.
IPL Controversy: Furthermore, in 2010, Shashi Tharoor was the Minister of State for External Affairs in the Congress cabinet. At that time, a complaint arose that he intervened in the IPL Kochi cricket team auction for his wife, Sunanda. Lalit Modi, who ran the IPL cricket tournament, confirmed this complaint.
- He said, “Shashi Tharoor threatened me to bring Sunanda Pushkar as one of the owners of the Kochi Tuskers team.”
- There was a demand for Shashi Tharoor to resign from his ministerial post. Tharoor initially refused but eventually resigned due to pressure.
- Thus, the Lalit Modi – Shashi Tharoor issue persists.

Shashi Tharoor’s excessive affection for the BJP compels us to reflect on all these matters.

Once, Congress leader Kharge criticized Shashi Tharoor’s actions. Shashi Tharoor immediately reacted. He posted an image of a sparrow on his X page with the caption in English: “No one needs permission to fly. The wings are yours. The sky belongs to no one.”

However, it is a big question whether Shashi Tharoor can fly according to his will until the Sunanda case concludes or until the BJP government comes to an end.