Shashi Tharoor claps back after Annamalai takes 'chameleon' swipe at Congress
At the Stanford India Conference 2026, K Annamalai called Congress a chameleon for backing Vijay's TVK after leaving the DMK. Shashi Tharoor responded with a wordplay on X, turning the exchange into a viral moment amid Tamil Nadu's government formation.
The new government formation procedure in Tamil Nadu has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. After Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) head, Vijay, swore in as the new chief minister of Tamil Nadu, the Stanford India Conference 2026 saw a friendly jibe between two of their panelists – Bharatiya Janata Party leader K Annamalai and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
Speaking about the changing political landscape in Tamil Nadu, Annamalai pointed out that the Congress supporting TVK, deserting their long-time ally – Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) – is nothing less than being a chameleon.
"Overnight, it just took one night for the Congress to change to Vijay's party, leaving the DMK. And even the chameleon will not change its colour that fast.. Now they want to sit separate from the DMK," said Annamalai in the conference.
He also went on to say that this behaviour showed that Congress is not a party that can take their own decisions. "They can just piggyback on the regional party which is in power," he added.
The clip went viral in no time. Shashi Tharoor, after reposting it on X, took a cheeky jab at Annamalai saying, "I believe he said “Tamilian”, not “chameleon!”
I believe he said “Tamilian”, not “chameleon”! https://t.co/qZqxw8Ce0K— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 10, 2026
While the internet clarified in the comments that Annamalai clearly said chameleon, it was pretty clear Tharoor did a wordplay taking a subtle dig at Annamalai's claims.
During the panel, Annamalai also claimed that the Congress, as a party, is still stuck in the 1960s. “India has moved on. A new generation wants a very positive set of politics, developmental politics," he said.
Despite the attack on the Congress, he appreciated Tharoor for how well-learned he is. "We all respect Shashi Tharoor ji. He is such an erudite person, a person who has served in the United Nations, who always kept India’s pride and prestige very high. But when he also starts to speak the Congress Party language, that is where we have a problem."
The assembly election 2026 results for Tamil Nadu were announced on May 4 and since then, the Indian National Congress have been in the forefront of significant developments with regard to the formation of government in the state. Things looked bleak for the Congress in Tamil Nadu as they won only 5 seats and their primary ally DMK won just 59, falling short of a majority.
Vijay's TVK, who were participating in the elections for the first time, won 108 seats out of 234, following which Congress offered their support to them. With several other parties joining in, the govt was formed on Sunday after Vijay took his oath as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.