'Congress is a family-run party': Shashi Tharoor

Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor is not new to controversies. He stoked a major one Monday when he called the Congress a “family-run” party, echoing the longstanding label used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Speaking about who could be the prime ministerial probable if the INDIA bloc came to power, Tharoor, much to Congress’ embarrassment, said, “I think that once the result comes out, then because it’s a coalition and not one party, the leaders of those parties will have to get together and pick someone. But, my guess is that from the Congress Party, it’s going to be either Kharge, who then will be the first Dalit prime minister of India, or Rahul Gandhi, since in very many ways it (Congress) is a family-run party.” “So we’ll have to wait and see,” he added. In an interaction during an event in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor suggested at the possibility of a surprising result in the Lok Sabha polls next year, indicting that I.N.D.I.A bloc could defeat the BJP-led NDA and hog power at the Centre. Tharoor, who was union minister under the Congress’ tenure, also said the Prime Minister is the first among equals, and he was confident in his ability to perform whatever responsibilities may be assigned to him. With inputs from PTI