'Man Of Tremendous Vigour & Dynamism': Shashi Tharoor Credits PM Modi For BJP's Victory In UP Polls

According to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, "many people had not expected that BJP will come in power once again with such a majority" in Uttar Pradesh.

File Photo: Shashi Tharoor (Getty) | Narendra Modi (PIB)

New Delhi: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling him "a man of tremendous vigour and dynamism" as he credited him for the BJP's victory in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.

While interacting with the media at the Jaipur Literature Festival, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a man of tremendous vigour and dynamism and has done some things which are very impressive, especially politically. We did not expect him to win with such great margins but he did", news agency ANI reported.

In regards to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election, Shashi Tharoor said that one day, the Indian voter will surprise BJP, but today the people have given them (BJP) what they wanted.

Following his words of praise for the Prime minister, he also criticized the former Gujarat CM, saying: "He has unleashed such forces in the society that are dividing our nation on communal and religious grounds which according to me is introducing a toxin that is unfortunate."

Shashi Tharoor said that he was surprised over the political analysts describing the UP poll results as a "foregone conclusion", as he felt very few predicted BJP's victory until the exit polls came out.

"Until the exit polls came out there was no question in my mind that most of the people were expecting a very, very close fight, and some were saying anecdotally that Samajwadi Party was ahead," he said, adding that "the Indian voter has the capacity to surprise, and one day, they will also surprise the BJP. But right now they have given the BJP what they wanted."

According to the Congress leader, "many people had not expected that BJP will come in power once again with such a majority. Samajwadi Party's (SP) seats have increased and hence they will prove to be a good opposition".

On his own party's performance in the UP election, he opined that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did remarkable and energetic campaigning for the party, and "from my point of view, I don't think that the Congress per se can be faulted on the grounds of one person's campaigning."

"I think the issues are rather larger for the party as well as for party viability in some states where our presence has been systematically going down over the last 30 years," he stated, as quoted by ANI.

The Congress MP further emphasised Priyanka Gandhi's performance saying: "You would have seen her everywhere, including getting arrested a couple of times by the Uttar Pradesh Police. You have seen her very much on the spot and running through the state."

Shashi Tharoor was in Jaipur on Sunday to take part in the Jaipur Literature Festival 2022.

The 15th edition of Jaipur Literature Festival 2022, which began on March 5, concludes on Monday. It was held in a hybrid format with its on-ground events from March 10 to March 14 at Clarks Amer, Jaipur, Rajasthan.

(With Agency Inputs)