Lok Sabha polls 2024: With general elections round the corner, Congress MP and Lok Sabha candidate from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday dropped a hint about who can pose as an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi if the opposition INDIA bloc comes to power.
There has been no clear revelation about who can be the Prime Minister's face from the Opposition side, something that the BJP has often challenged them about.
Tharoor said that the question is irrelevant in the parliamentary system. He added that it is not about electing an individual but a party or a coalition of parties that represents a set of principles and convictions invaluable to preserve India's diversity, pluralism and inclusive.
"Yet again a journalist has asked me to identify an individual who is the alternative to Mr Modi. The question is irrelevant in the Parliamentary system. We are not electing an individual (as in a presidential system), but a party, or coalition of parties, that represents a set of principles and convictions that are invaluable to preserve India's diversity, pluralism and inclusive growth," Tharoor said in his post on X (formerly Twitter).
So, who does Tharoor think can be the alternative of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister? While he did not divulge any names, Tharoor said that the alternative to Modi is a group of experienced, capable and diverse leaders who will not be driven be individual ego.
He said which specific person they will choose as the Prime Minister is a secondary issue.
"The alternative to Mr Modi is a group of experienced, capable and diverse Indian leaders who will be responsive to people's problems and not driven by individual ego. Which specific person they will choose to be Prime Minister is a secondary consideration. Protecting our democracy and diversity comes first," Tharoor explained.
He, however, was not the only Congress party leader to sideline a question on the importance of a Prime Ministerial face in Lok Sabha elections. Last month, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said elections are not "beauty contests".
He added that in India, "competition is held between the parties, its ideology, its symbol, its campaigning." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders are confident of securing a third term in office with a resounding majority.
The Prime Minister coined the slogan 'Abki baar, 400 paar' for the NDA alliance to win over 400 seats and 370 for the BJP. At a recent event, however, the Prime Minister said that the slogan 'Abki baar, 400 paar' was not coined by the ruling BJP but by the public to bring back the current government.
Modi's popularity has seen a boost in the recent years due to the construction of Ram Temple, abrogation of Article 370, and banning of triple talaq.