‘They Moved On…’: Shashi Tharoor Appears To Defend RSS On Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Manusmriti’ Charge’ | Politics News

Last Updated:June 29, 2025, 09:40 IST

File photo of Shashi Tharoor (PTI)

Amidst the growing rift with the grand-old party, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday appeared to have defended the Rashtriya Sewa Sangh (RSS) and the BJP over Rahul Gandhi’s accusation that the RSS wanted ‘Manusmriti’, not the Constitution.

While answering to a question about the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition’s allegation that the RSS-BJP want Manusmriti instead of the Constitution, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said that historically he is right as then RSS chief MS Golwalkar had said that one of the greatest flaws of the Constitution is that there is nothing of the Manusmriti in it.

However, Tharoor appeared to have defended the RSS saying that the organisation has itself moved on from those days.

“Historically, he’s (Rahul Gandhi) referring to the fact that that was a criticism expressed at the time of the adoption of the Constitution. Mr Golwalkar, amongst others, said that one of the greatest flaws of the Constitution is that there is nothing of the Manusmriti in it, but I think the RSS itself has moved on from those days. So, as a historical statement, it’s accurate, whether it’s a reflection of how they feel today,” he said as quoted by news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Ahmedabad, Gujarat | On Congress LoP Rahul Gandhi’s tweet that the RSS-BJP want Manusmriti instead of the Constitution, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, “Historically, he’s (Rahul Gandhi) referring to the fact that that was a criticism expressed at the time of the… pic.twitter.com/ICfvs5poae— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2025

Tharoor’s remarks came after Rahul Gandhi slammed the BJP-RSS amid the ongoing row over “Secular” and “Socialist” words in the preamble of the Constitution.

Slamming both the organisations, Gandhi said that the mask of the RSS has come off as it wants “Manusmriti” and not the Constitution.

“The mask of RSS has come off again. The Constitution irks them because it speaks of equality, secularism, and justice. RSS-BJP doesn’t want the Constitution; they want Manusmriti. They aim to strip the marginalized and the poor of their rights and enslave them again. Snatching a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them is their real agenda. RSS should stop dreaming this dream – we will never let them succeed. Every patriotic Indian will defend the Constitution until their last breath,” he had said in a post on X.

His attack  came after RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale on Thursday called for reviewing the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Preamble of the Constitution, saying that the terms were included during the Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by BR Ambedkar.

Meanwhile, Tharoor’s widening rift with the Congress Party has come under renewed spotlight after a string of pointed remarks and cryptic social media posts seemingly challenging the party’s leadership.

One such post read, “Don’t ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one.” This, followed by a series of similar messages, signaled growing tensions between Tharoor and the party.

Amid the buzz, he posted: “Don’t ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one,” the post said.

Tensions between Shashi Tharoor and the Congress party emerged after he was chosen by the government to lead an all-party delegation on Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, following which his repeated praise of the government and Prime Minister Modi has irked the party.

Tharoor’s cryptic post came minutes after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge took a veiled swipe at Tharoor, saying that while the party stood for nation first, “but for some people, Modi is first”.

Tharoor’s post prompted a sharp response from Congress leader Manickam Tagore, who, without naming anyone, remarked, “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.”

Tensions between Tharoor and the Congress high command further escalated after he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomacy in an article for The Hindu, highlighting the PM’s “energy” and “dynamism” as valuable to India’s global influence.

The article was later shared by the Prime Minister’s Office, intensifying speculation about Tharoor’s allegiance.

(With inputs from agencies)

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More

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