I voted for Shashi Tharoor and won’t join BJP: Congress leader’s reply to Himanta Biswa Sarma

Congress leader Salman Anees Soz who was the election agent of Shashi Tharoor in the party’s presidential poll said he voted for Shashi Tharoor and will never join BJP, even if it becomes the only party left.

The comment came after Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma speaking at Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2022 said he expects the 1,000 Congress delegates who voted for Tharoor to join the BJP soon.

“I was one of the 1,072 delegates who voted for Shashi Tharoor in the INC elections. We lost but internal party democracy won. If BJP was the only party left, I wouldn’t join it. It has too many bigots, cowards and opportunists for my taste,” Salman Soz tweeted. Jairam Ramesh also reacted to the Assam CM’s prediction and said, “Bakwas has no limits for him”. Pawan Khera commented, “Himanta Biswa’s heart is still with the Congress.”

Congress leader Salman Anees Soz who was the election agent of Shashi Tharoor in the party’s presidential poll said he voted for Shashi Tharoor and will never join BJP, even if it becomes the only party left. The comment came after Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma speaking at Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2022 said he expects the 1,000 Congress delegates who voted for Tharoor to join the BJP soon.

“I was one of the 1,072 delegates who voted for Shashi Tharoor in the INC elections. We lost but internal party democracy won. If BJP was the only party left, I wouldn’t join it. It has too many bigots, cowards and opportunists for my taste,” Salman Soz tweeted.

Shashi Tharoor too reacted to Himanta Biswa’s dig and said those who show courage will never join the BJP and only those who do not have the courage to fight might be tempted to join the BJP — in a dig at Himanta Biswa Sarma who severed his decades-long ties with the Congress and joined the BJP in 2015.

“Democracy is what? You will put somebody to stand for you and you will declare the election result even before counting. That Okay, he has won…and if somebody believes Kharge symbolises democracy in the Congress party I don’t know what is that,” the Assam chief minister said.

“If Shashi Tharoor had won, I would have said, yes, democracy has arrived in the Congress,” Himanta Biswa said as he spoke with Hindustan Times’ Sunetra Choudhury. On the number of votes that Shashi Tharoor received, Himanta said, “Yes, that’s why I say there are a lot of good-thinking people in the Congress and they will join the BJP soon. These 1,000 people who voted for Shashi Tharoor will join the BJP,” Himanta Biswa said.