'Reflects national sentiment': BJP leader backs Shashi Tharoor's praise for Bihar

New Delhi, Dec 23
Political reactions poured in on Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's remarks praising the Nitish Kumar government’s work on infrastructure in Bihar, with BJP MLA Ram Kadam saying these echo a broader national sentiment.

The BJP projected Tharoor’s comments as an endorsement of the NDA’s governance in Bihar.

Speaking to IANS, Kadam said, “Shashi Tharoor is a leader known for speaking his mind strongly and eloquently. This is not just his personal opinion, it reflects the sentiment of the entire country.”

Kadam also took a swipe at the RJD’s past rule, alleging that governance during Lalu Prasad Yadav’s tenure was marked by corruption and neglect, while Bihar was now “gradually becoming part of the mainstream of development” under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the present state government.

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar defended Tharoor’s observations, calling them a reflection of the state’s development.

“Shashi Tharoor attended an international literature festival and shared his views after arriving in Patna. He spoke about the changes in Bihar, from roads and electricity to Nalanda. At Nalanda University, students from 22 countries are studying, so they can clearly see the development there,” Kumar said.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Imran Masood launched a scathing attack on party colleague Tharoor, questioning his political positioning and remarking that he has become “directionally confused”.

Speaking to IANS, Masood said, “Shashi Tharoor has become directionally confused. He is in Congress yet praises the Prime Minister and talks about the Bihar model. But in Bihar, democracy was subverted by splitting 67 lakh votes. You have to do politics in Kerala; you have to become the Chief Minister there. BJP is not in Kerala. He is so confused that sometimes he says one thing, sometimes he says something else,” Masood said.

The reactions followed Tharoor’s praise for Bihar’s infrastructure during his visit to the state to attend the first Nalanda Literary Festival at the revived Nalanda University.

“No question that the infrastructure is so much better than I had heard before. The roads are better. People are out on the streets even late at night, which was not always the case in the past. So far, the electricity seems to work, the water, everything else,” Tharoor said.