“Shashi Tharoor Reacts to Trump–Mamdani Meeting: ‘Wish India Saw Such Democratic Openness’”

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday lauded the meeting between US President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, calling it an example of democratic maturity where rivals set aside personal attacks once the voters have spoken.

In a post on X, Tharoor wrote, “This is how democracy should work. Fight passionately for your point of view in elections… But once it’s over, and the people have spoken, learn to cooperate with each other in the common interests of the nation you are both pledged to serve.”
He added that he would “love to see more of this in India” and was “trying to do his part” to encourage such political civility.

Tharoor’s remarks come at a time when the Congress has adopted an increasingly aggressive stance against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Just days ago, his relatively positive assessment of the PM’s speech at the Ramnath Goenka Lecture drew criticism from within the party, including leaders Sandeep Dikshit and Supriya Shrinate.

The Trump–Mamdani interaction itself followed weeks of heated exchanges between the two on social media. Despite the acrimony, the Mayor-elect sought a meeting, leading to a surprisingly cordial interaction at the Oval Office. Trump, who had previously called Mamdani a “lunatic,” “communist,” and “despot,” praised him for running an “incredible race” and said their talks on housing, food prices and energy were “productive.”

Mamdani echoed the sentiment, calling the discussion constructive and centred on shared priorities for New York City. When asked about his past criticism of Trump, Mamdani began to respond — before Trump interjected with a laugh: “That’s OK, you can just say yes… I don’t mind.”
The exchange ended with both leaders sharing a light moment, the kind of post-election détente Tharoor said India could learn from.