‘Freedom Isn’t Free, Especially When Predators Wear Patriotism’: Congress Takes Veiled Dig After Tharoor’s Cryptic Post

(Photo : ANI)

A day after Congress leader Shashi Tharoor shared a cryptic post, party leader Manickam Tagore on Thursday took a jibe at Tharoor, saying, “Freedom isn’t free, especially when predators wear patriotism as feathers.”

"Don’t ask permission to fly. Birds don’t need clearance to rise…But in today, even a free bird must watch the skies—hawks, vultures, and ‘eagles’ are always hunting. Freedom isn’t free, especially when the predators wear patriotism as feathers," Tagore said in a post on X. 

Tagore's post featured six birds of prey, including a bald eagle, American kestrel, great horned owl, turkey vulture, osprey and red-tailed hawk.

Don’t ask permission to fly. Birds don’t need clearance to rise…
But in today even a free bird must watch the skies—hawks, vultures, and ‘eagles’ are always hunting.
Freedom isn’t free, especially when the predators wear patriotism as feathers.  #DemocracyInDanger… pic.twitter.com/k4bNe8kwhR

— Manickam Tagore (@manickamtagore) June 26, 2025

Tagore's post came after Tharoor on Wednesday shared a message on X with a picture of a bird. The caption on the picture read, "Don't ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one."

pic.twitter.com/dNkwZb721E

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 25, 2025

Tagore's remarks came a day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, without naming Tharoor, criticised him for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an op-ed article, saying that for Congress, the nation comes first, but for some, it is Modi first and the nation second.

“The entire Opposition said the country stands with the Indian Army. It was I who first raised my voice and said the nation is above all. But some people say Modi comes first, and the country later. What should we do about that?” Kharge said. 

Last week, while addressing his supporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor had admitted to having differences with the party’s top brass. “Yes, I have differences of opinion with the Congress leadership -- that is known. Some matters are in the public domain. I will speak to the leadership directly if needed. But I’m not going anywhere,” he had said.

Tharoor recently led a multi-party delegation to several countries to counter Pakistan’s narrative on cross-border terrorism, following the deadly terror strike in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead.

(With IANS inputs)