EXCLUSIVE: Congress is determined to become fulcrum of an effective Oppn, says Shashi Tharoor

The Congress is determined to become the fulcrum of an effective Opposition as its top leadership has been as active as ever during these testing time of Covid-19, said senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in an exclusive conversation with ETV Bharat.

Chennai: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday said that contrary to the speculations that party leadership is not active, the Congress is determined to become the fulcrum of an effective Opposition. He said that the central government has done so much damage that the country really needs an effective Opposition to register.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said, "Obviously this Covid era has been a problem for everyone because it has limited our movements, limited our ability to have mass events, demonstrations, meetings and so on and that definitely cramped our style as a political party. However, we have been as active as it's possible to be in these circumstances."

When asked about growing factionalism in the party in states like Punjab and G23, Tharoor said that it is, unfortunately, reality in most democratic parties and it is not a new phenomenon in the Congress party. "We have seen this in the Congress for decades. In my own state - Kerala - there are factions and groups. Similarly, pretty much in every part of the country, democracy is something that encourages the expression of individual views, interests, preferences, and opinions. However, I am not too worried about that because whatever the differences may be, when it matters like during elections, all the factions come together," he said, adding, that the important thing for a party is to ensure that everyone is on board.

Denying the claims that Congress only acts as an Opposition party on social media and not on the field, Tharoor said that even amid Covid-induced restrictions, the party has been very active. He claimed that no group, including the government, has been more active on Covid relief than the Indian Youth Congress (IYC). It has provided all the essential things to people during the worst of the second wave.

"Apart from the Youth Congress, my own body the All India Professionals Congress has provided relief to people, even on a smaller scale, during the Covid-19 pandemic. So, we have tried to do all sorts of things within our capacity to try and make things work," he said, claiming that once the Covid situation is over the country will see a strong and determined Opposition.

Speaking over the new IT laws, Tharoor, the chairman of the IT Committee, said that there is no debate on the principle that any company working in India must follow Indian laws but if the Indian law has some elements that are not reasonable, then the courts and judiciary are also there to help interpret this in a way that the companies will then have to abide.

It is worth mentioning here that, according to amended IT rules, social media and streaming companies will be required to take down contentious content quicker, and appoint grievance redressal officers based in the country to deal with online content flagged by authorities and courts and assist in investigations.