Congressman's response to Himanta Biswa Sarma: "I voted for Shashi Tharoor and won't join the BJP."

Salman Anees Soz, a leader in the Congress party and Shashi Tharoor's election agent in the party's presidential election, declared that he voted for Tharoor and will never join the BJP, even if it ends up being the only party left. The statement was made in response to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's statement that he anticipates the 1,000 Congress delegates who supported Tharoor to join the BJP soon while speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2022.

"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.”

Salman Anees Soz, a leader in the Congress party and Shashi Tharoor's election agent in the party's presidential election, declared that he voted for Tharoor and will never join the BJP, even if it ends up being the only party left. The statement was made in response to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's statement that he anticipates the 1,000 Congress delegates who supported Tharoor to join the BJP soon while speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2022. 

"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. 

In a jab at Himanta Biswa Sarma, who severed his decades-long ties with the Congress and joined the BJP in 2015, Shashi Tharoor responded to Himanta Biswa's insult by saying that those who exhibit courage will never join the BJP and that only those who lack the courage to fight might be tempted to do so. "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.