‘He Has His Reasons’: Tharoor Distances Himself From Rahul Gandhi Over Trump’s Remark

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor distanced himself from Rahul Gandhi’s Trump remark, stressed US ties' importance, and criticised the judiciary’s overload with politically motivated, frivolous cases where process becomes punishment.

Image: ANI

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor distanced himself from Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi's endorsement of US President Donald Trump's "dead economy" remark about India, highlighting the importance of maintaining strong bilateral relations with the United States.

"I don't want to comment on what my party leader has said. He has his reasons for saying so. My concern is that our relationship with the US, as a strategic and economic partnership, is important for us. We are exporting around 90 billion worth of goods to America. We can't be in a position to lose that or have it diminish significantly," Tharoor said in conversation with ANI.

Tharoor criticised the misuse of judicial processes, stressing that India's legal system is overwhelmed by "frivolous" and "politically motivated" cases, where "the process itself becomes the punishment."

"The problem in our system is that too many frivolous cases are allowed to function, and then the process itself becomes the punishment. Is the judiciary's time spent on worthwhile cases, or are many of our judges wasting a significant amount of time on frivolous cases often pursued for political motives?" he said while seaking with media person in Mumbai, ANI reported.

The defamation case stemmed from a reference Tharoor made in a book, which cited a 2011 article that included a statement by an RSS leader.

"I wasn't targeting PM Modi. I wasn't targeting anyone. I had written a book in which I had quoted an article published in 2011, which in turn quoted a statement by an individual in those days in the RSS, who subsequently rehabilitated in the BJP and served as the in-charge of the BJP in eastern UP," he said.