Congress MP Shashi Tharoor defended his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his meeting with US President Donald Trump. He said that he spoke with India’s interests in mind and that \”we cannot always speak only in terms of party interest\” He also said that throughout his 16-year political career, his approach has remained consistent; acknowledging and praising good governance, regardless of the party in power. He added that consistently praising or criticising the government would undermine his credibility. The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram said that as an elected MP, he speaks as a responsible stakeholder in Indian democracy and on behalf of those who have placed their trust in him to exercise his judgment and speak fairly and freely on certain issues. He also criticised the tendency of political parties to oppose each other reflexively and said that there has to be some give and take in a democracy. The meeting underscored India’s growing importance on the global stage, he said, adding that the visit left some questions unanswered, such as why the issue of how illegal immigrants were returned to India was not addressed.
