Congress MP Shashi Tharoor Breaks Ranks With Rahul Gandhi Over Trump's 'Dead Economy' Remark

Highlights

Shashi Tharoor publicly contradicts Rahul Gandhi's endorsement of Trump's "dead economy" comment about India, declaring the US President's assessment untrue and widening Congress party divisions.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has publicly contradicted party colleague Rahul Gandhi's support for US President Donald Trump's characterization of India as a "dead economy," creating another visible fissure within the opposition party's leadership.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, the Thiruvananthapuram parliamentarian firmly rejected Trump's economic assessment, stating simply that "this is not the case, and we all know it." His response directly countered Gandhi's endorsement of the American President's remarks made just one day earlier.

Trump's inflammatory comments emerged this week as part of his broader criticism of India's relationship with Russia, where he declared indifference toward India-Russia cooperation and dismissed both nations as having "dead economies." The remarks accompanied his announcement of 25 percent tariffs on Indian goods effective August 1.

Rahul Gandhi, serving as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had embraced Trump's economic critique as validation of his criticism against the Modi government. Gandhi claimed that everyone except the Prime Minister and Finance Minister recognized India's economic struggles, alleging that the BJP had deliberately damaged the economy to benefit industrialist Gautam Adani.

Tharoor's dissent represents the latest indication of growing tensions between the senior Congress leader and his party's official positions. Unlike Gandhi's harsh governmental criticism, Tharoor refrained from attacking the Modi administration while rejecting Trump's characterization.

The government has strongly defended India's economic performance through Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's parliamentary statements. Goyal emphasized India's status as the world's fastest-growing major economy and its trajectory toward becoming the third-largest global economy, while asserting that India would protect its national interests regarding US tariff implications.

This disagreement compounds existing friction between Tharoor and Congress leadership, particularly regarding his public support for Operation Sindoor, which conflicts with the party's official stance. Tharoor has consistently prioritized national interests over party positioning, stating that "the nation comes before the party" when defending military operations.

The rift deepened when the government appointed Tharoor to head the Operation Sindoor delegation to the United States without Congress party nomination. Sources indicate he declined participation in parliamentary debates on the operation, reportedly unwilling to contradict his established positions for party messaging purposes.

This pattern of public disagreement highlights broader challenges within Congress regarding message discipline and ideological coherence, particularly when national security issues intersect with partisan political considerations.