How Shashi Tharoor denied Saurav Das the pleasure of a stinging controversy

CJP co-convenor Saurav Das tried to get Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to remark on a video of PM Narendra Modi's temple visit. The obvious reference was to Tharoor's controversial remarks from 2018, but the Congress MP dodged the bullet.CJP's Saurav Das tried to extract a comment from Congress MP Shashi Tharoor with a video of PM Modi's temple visit. (File)New Delhi,Oct 7, 2026 19:45 ISTCockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convenor Saurav Das tried to bait Congress leader Shashi Tharoor into commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a video of the BJP leader offering prayers to Lord Shiva and Shashi Tharoor-style English. However, Tharoor, sharp as ever, dodged the bullet, reeling in Das himself. The video had to do with Modi offering prayers visit to a Shiva temple, and Das's bait was obvious in reference to Tharoor's 2018 "scorpion on a Shivling" remark.Tharoor, a Congress Lok Sabha MP from Keralam, has been seen as defending several policies of the Modi government. This has at times created tension with other Congress leaders and sparked a buzz of him joining the BJP.Tharoor has not actively participated in the street protests that the Congress-led Opposition is holding in New Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The CJP, of which Saurav Das is a leader, was planning its own protest against the CEC on October 10. It has been denied permission.Saurav Das was obviously trying to test the waters. If he could get Tharoor to comment against PM Modi, he would win, if Tharoor stayed mum, he would win. However, Tharoor denied him any victory in his own style. The exchange came as Modi visited the Shri Vinayak Mandir in New Delhi on Wednesday, the day he completed 25 uninterrupted years as the head of various governments in Gujarat and at the Centre. Modi's run began with his swearing-in as Gujarat chief minister in 2001. Modi said he prayed for the happiness, prosperity and good health of people across India and for the strength to continue serving the country.Here's how Saurav Das tried to extract a comment from Tharoor, and how the diplomat-turned-politician denied him any happiness.WHEN SAURAV DAS'S THAROOR JOKE FELL FLATSaurav Das was reacting to an ANI post on X carrying a video of PM Modi praying at the Delhi temple."I see this and [I] am reminded of a banger comment by Shashi Tharoor," Das wrote on X, tagging the Congress MP.Then came a sentence seemingly designed to mimic the Tharoorian vocabulary that has spawned countless memes over the years."Dr Tharoor, would it be an unconscionable imposition upon your eloquence to solicit a reprise of that ineffably felicitous observation, sir?" Das asked. In simple English, it meant: "Dr Tharoor, would you please repeat that brilliant comment of yours?"Tharoor's response was considerably simple. He said he would happily oblige, except he didn't have "the slightest idea" what Das was referring to, before asking him to "enlighten" him.Saurav Das was referring to Tharoor's controversial 2018 "scorpion on a Shivling" remark about PM Modi.Quoting an unnamed RSS source, Tharoor had said, "Modi is like a scorpion sitting on a Shivling, you can't remove him with your hand and you cannot hit it with a chappal either."Tharoor had used the metaphor to describe what he said was the RSS's difficulty in dealing with PM Modi.CONGRESS, CJP HAVE BEEN AT ODDS OVER CEC PROTESTSThe exchange between Sourav Das and Shashi Tharoor comes against a frosty relationship between sections of the Congress and the CJP.Both outfits have been holding separate protests targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR exercise.This even as Rahul Gandhi has called for disparate anti-government movements to come together. CJP leaders, including Saurav Das, have traded barbs with Congress leaders over protest strategy, political credit and media attention.On October 3, Das and fellow CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke and Ashutosh Ranka attacked the Congress without naming it. They slammed the "liberal ecosystem" over protests against the Election Commission and said that the ecosystem must not consider itself the "thekedar of the Constitution". While they didn't name the Congress, several Congress leaders perceived the criticism being directed at their camp.After Congress leader Vijay Thottathil questioned why the NSUI and the Indian Youth Congress protesters were detained while CJP activists could protest, Das said that it was time for the grand-old party to "rethink" their strategy rather than blame others.The friction has emerged even though both camps have been campaigning over concerns surrounding the Election Commission, like they did so against former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a couple of months ago. The CJP is preparing for its October 10 protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation despite Delhi Police denying permission for the gathering. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has been leading the Congress and Opposition's separate agitation in Delhi and was detained for the second consecutive day on Wednesday after he tried to march towards the Election Commission.It was against this backdrop that Saurav Das tried to bait Tharoor into remarking on a video of PM Modi, with an obvious reference to controversial 2018 comments. Tharoor dodged it, and left Das without any comebacks.- Ends