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Tharoor Vs Congress: Shashi Tharoor, a senior Congress leader and a Congress Working Committee member, once again touched upon a controversial issue - the Emergency, which always irks the Congress. Tharoor, who locked himself in a in a political feud with Congress after toeing a different line from the grand old party over the Modi government's international outreach as part of 'Operation Sindoor', posted a cryptic 'bird' tweet after party president Mallikarjun Kharge snubbed him.

He wrote an article in the Malayalam daily Deepika on Thursday, asserting the Emergency should not be remembered merely as a dark chapter in India's history, but that its lessons must be fully understood.

Tharoor Invokes Sanjay Gandhi's Sterilisation Drive

Tharoor also mentioned Indira Gandhi's son, Sanjay Gandhi in his article, who had launched several controversial initiatives during the Emergency.

"Sanjay Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi, led forced sterilisation campaigns which became a notorious example of this. In poor rural areas, violence and coercion were used to meet arbitrary targets. In cities like New Delhi, slums were mercilessly demolished and cleared. Thousands of people were rendered homeless. Their welfare was not taken into consideration," the Thiruvananthapuram MP wrote.

Highlighting the the dark era of the Emergency between 25 June 1975 and 21 March 1977, the Congress leader said the efforts undertaken for discipline and order often turned into acts of cruelty that could not be justified.

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He said democracy is not something to be taken lightly; it is a precious legacy that must be constantly nurtured and preserved. "Let it serve as a lasting reminder to people everywhere," Tharoor said.

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'Bird Becoming A Parrot' Jibe By Congress MP Manickam Tagore

Tharoor's Emergency article drew sharp reaction from his party colleages. Congress MP Manickam Tagore took a jibe at Tharoor, asking is the bird becoming a parrot.

"When a Colleague starts repeating BJP lines word for word, you begin to wonder — is the Bird becoming a parrot? Mimicry is cute in birds, not in politics," he posted.

Controversy Over Tharoor X Post On UDF's CM Candidate

Meanwhile, another Congress leader Muraleedharan also slammed Tharoor but not for the Emergency article but for sharing survey showing public support for him as UDF's CM candidate.

"Let Shashi Tharoor first decide which party he belongs to. If the UDF comes to power, the CM will be a nominee of the UDF. There are many in the party who have toiled hard — chopping firewood, carrying water — one among them will become the chief minister. Let the global citizen worry about global affairs," he said, while speaking to reporters.

(With PTI inputs)