'Powerful Example Of Global Leadership': Shashi Tharoor Praises PM Modi's Covid-19 'Vaccine Diplomacy'

Last Updated:March 31, 2025, 09:12 IST

Tharoor, in his column, wrote how, by sending India-made Covid-19 vaccines - Covishield and Covaxin - to over 100 countries in the time of a global crisis, "India emerged as a key player in global health diplomacy, showcasing its capacity to address global challenges."

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (PTI Image)

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has once again praised the Narendra Modi government, this time for India’s “vaccine diplomacy" during Covid-19 pandemic. In a fresh column ‘Covid’s silver lining for India’, Tharoor highlighted how Modi government’s ‘Vaccine Maitri’ programme “stood out from amid the horrors of that time as a powerful example of international leadership rooted in responsibility and solidarity."

Tharoor, in his column, wrote how, by sending India-made Covid-19 vaccines – Covishield and Covaxin – to over 100 countries in the time of a global crisis, “India emerged as a key player in global health diplomacy, showcasing its capacity to address global challenges."

“India did what more affluent countries did not. The vaccine shipments enhanced our country’s global image; India’s efforts were widely appreciated, enhancing its reputation as a responsible global leader," Tharoor added.

While Tharoor didn’t name PM Modi in his column, he praised his leadership, saying, “India’s vaccine diplomacy embodied and contributed to the very spirit of its soft power. It carried the values of compassion, cooperation, and global partnership to the world, building goodwill, strengthening diplomatic ties, and elevating India’s global stature."

The column by Tharoor comes days after he endorsed PM Modi’s stand on the Russia-Ukraine war. “Russia-Ukraine peace is absolutely important for the world but as our PM said peace can not be found on the battlefield. It will have to require some negotiation. We are glad that some process has started already but these are early days. We don’t know if they are only talking about a ceasefire or whether there is going to be an enduring peace settlement… We have to wait and watch, I think the speculation here is very premature," Tharoor had said.

Tharoor had conceded that he was left with an “egg on his face" in opposing India’s stance when the Russia-Ukraine war broke out and said due to the policy that was adopted, the country is now in a position where it can make a difference for lasting peace.

The BJP has been taking digs at Congress over Tharoor’s praise of PM Modi. Amid rumours of a rift with the Congress over his praise for PM Modi and the LDF government in Kerala, Tharoor had earlier said that he is available for the party, however, also warned that he had “options" if the party did not require his services. However, Tharoor dismissed talks of switching parties, stating that he did not believe in jumping ships even if he had differences in opinions in the party.

News politics 'Powerful Example Of Global Leadership': Shashi Tharoor Praises PM Modi's Covid-19 'Vaccine Diplomacy'