Amid an ongoing controversy within the Congress party, senior leader Shashi Tharoor is on a private visit to Russia, where he met key figures including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The visit, which began on June 21, is aimed at promoting a 10-part documentary series based on Tharoor’s 2017 book “Inglorious Empire”, produced by Russia’s state-run TV network RT. The book, which critiques British colonial rule in India, was inspired by Tharoor’s viral Oxford Union speech in 2015.
Tharoor first attended the St. Petersburg Economic Forum and later travelled to Moscow, where he engaged in a series of high-level meetings. On June 23, he met Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Russian Duma’s international affairs committee, and addressed the Indian diaspora at the embassy. He also met Konstantin Kosachev, head of the upper house’s foreign affairs committee, and members of the Malayalee community in Russia on June 25.
The meeting with Lavrov took place on the sidelines of the Primakov Readings, a prominent global forum on international relations and economics. During these discussions, Tharoor briefed Russian officials on India’s counter-terrorism efforts, particularly Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April Pahalgam terror attack. He also exchanged views on global flashpoints such as the Israel-Iran conflict, the crisis in Gaza, and India-Russia ties.
Tharoor, who recently represented India in an all-party global outreach on Operation Sindoor, also discussed the potential of building a parliamentary dimension to BRICS. Slutsky, supporting the idea, called India a “key member” of the bloc and emphasized the need for deeper cooperation.
However, Tharoor’s visit comes at a politically sensitive moment. He is facing criticism from within the Congress party for his praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a newspaper article highlighting India’s global diplomatic outreach. The article, reshared by the PMO’s official handle, sparked a rebuke from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who said, “For us, it’s country first. For some, it’s Modi first.” Tharoor appeared to respond cryptically on social media: “Don’t ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one…”
The RT documentary series, expected to air later this year, will delve into the impact of British colonialism on India, tracing its rise, exploitation, and eventual dismantling — a narrative Tharoor has long championed on the global stage.
