E D Mathew

Former United Nations Spokesperson, globe-trotter, freelance writer, TV commentator, tennis fanatic, unabashedly liberal.

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

Millions of young Indians feel politically unheard and economically cornered. They are expressing that frustration through irony, parody and nihilistic humour. Democracies ignore such signals at their peril. My column. @NMenonRao @ShashiTharoor https://t.co/lot6XQgZmE

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

@mb4books I waited for an hour from 8.30 am to 9.39 am at your Cochin airport outlet to buy a book but there was nobody manning the shop. Sheer lack of professionalism!

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

Tharoor is uniquely positioned among Indian politicians to give intellectual coherence/democratic legitimacy to CJP. Unlike leaders who fear satire and youth-led dissent, Tharoor understands that democracy derives its vitality from precisely such unconventional energies.

[Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor]

My thoughts on the #CockroachJantaParty and related issues:

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

Enough of the Kerala Assembly, now look at my other posts!

[ROHIT @rohit994006]

@vijeshetty @edmathew Tulunad should become serious about safeguarding our language by creating our own state .

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

A parody account by India’s GenZ is apparently too dangerous for the world’s largest democracy. When governments start fearing memes, satire and cockroach mascots, it is usually a sign of deep political insecurity. A government frightened by young people joking online!

[Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor]

I welcome the pushback to my post and interview on the #CockroachJantaParty phenomenon. Many users dismissed it as a Pakistani-manufactured conspiracy, but that is too simplistic: there are also counter-claims by @abhijeet_dipke that 94% of his followers are based in India. Whatever be the truth (and perhaps @Instagram should put the record straight), my point is that suppressing it is foolish in a democracy. Democracy’s great virtue is the outlets it provides for public sentiment, frustration and grievances. Letting these be aired on a satirical site IS in the national interest.

Whatever be the founders’ motivations, there is no denying that they have tapped into an important strain of national sentiment among our youth. As custodians of our democracy, both Government and Opposition need to sit up, listen and tackle the underlying discontent. Ignoring it, denying it and worst of all, suppressing it would be disastrous.

Such movements serve like the valves on a pressure-cooker, letting off steam. If the valves were closed, the cooker would explode under the pressure. I prefer satire to chaos, anarchy or revolution. I also feel it is our job to identify and deliver solutions to the problems of Young India. Let’s lift the ban and tune in!

https://t.co/ASpCV6nBje

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

@elonmusk , why is the X account of the Cockroach Janata Party withheld in India? Are you in collusion with the govt to suppress the voice of India's GenZ? How will history remember you for helping gag the youth of the largest democracy in the world?

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

@HelleLyngSvends Do interview @svaradarajan and @sardesairajdeep

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

Kerala’s new Assembly witnessed MLAs taking oath in four languages - Malayalam, English, Tamil and Kannada. Where else in India does such a scene unfold within one legislature? A reminder that Kerala’s identity is not built on uniformity, but on a confident, lived pluralism.

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

Kerala’s new govt has done what Kerala does best: cancel the future and call it prudence. Killing SilverLine in a state where young people flee for jobs and industries refuse to come is not fiscal wisdom, it's developmental cowardice. It's celebrating stagnation. @vdsatheesan

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

@ShashiTharoor @ShashiTharoor 's account of his return to alma mater is deeply moving. It's a beautifully articulated meditation on time, mentorship, and the enduring power of education. It possesses rare elegance of a man revisiting not just a place, but the very architecture of his becoming.

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

Disappointing ministerial line-up in V D Satheesan's cabinet. Pathetic surrender to factional pressure. Imagine a callow O.J. Janeesh is included when better qualified candidates are left out. @INCKerala

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

I have eaten Idli for most of my life never once suspecting that I was consuming a civilisational achievement disguised as breakfast. Will never again look at an Idli without the reverence reserved for ancient temples, classical music, or, pardon me Modiji, Nehruvian socialism!

[Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor]

Indeed! To conflate a Rasgulla with an Idli is not just a culinary error; it is a profound cosmological misunderstanding.

To begin with, the comparison is practically a biological impossibility. She is comparing chhena (the delicate, squeaky, pristine curd of milk) with a meticulously fermented batter of parboiled rice and black gram (urad dal). Their compositions are from entirely different kingdoms. One is an airy, spongy lattice designed to trap light sugar syrup; the other is a dense, wholesome, steamed matrix of complex carbohydrates and proteins. Their taste, consistency, structural integrity, and existential purpose share absolutely nothing in common.

But more important, her attempt to dismiss the Idli as merely a blank canvas for sugar syrup does a grave disservice to what is arguably one of the greatest engineering marvels of the culinary world.

The Idli is not a mere "bland cake." It is a masterclass in biotechnology. To achieve the perfect Idli is to balance the delicate microflora of wild fermentation over a cold night, resulting in a steamed cloud that is a triumph of gut health, lightness, and nutritional balance. It is a savoury monolith of South Indian culinary genius, perfectly engineered to absorb the sharp tang of a well-spiced sambar or the fiery depth of a molaga-podi (gunpowder) paste infused with cold-pressed sesame oil or nutritious melted ghee.

To suggest an Idli would even consent to being drowned in sugar syrup is to fundamentally misunderstand its dignity.

If this lady finds Rasgullas overrated, argue that on the merits of their sponginess or sweetness. But please, leave the noble, perfectly fermented, steamed majesty of the Idli out of your dessert-table polemics, ma'am!

[Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor]

In my latest column in @the_hindu, I describe the fusion of markets with statecraft. Economic diplomacy is key, as India's relationships with major powers are increasingly shaped by economic security rather than traditional geopolitics alone. I analyse how this affects India’s choices — and how our future depends on engaging with the world on terms that protect our economy while amplifying our ambition. Read on!

[Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor]

Heartiest congratulations to Shri @VDSatheesan ji on being named leader of the Congress Legislature Party and Chief Minister-designate of Kerala — a richly deserved recognition of his tenacity, conviction, and years of dedicated service to our party and people. I campaigned alongside him and am delighted by his richly-deserved appointment.

At the same time, we all realise that the mandate that propels him to office is is not one man's victory — it is a mandate for Team UDF. Every senior leader bears an important role and responsibility in ensuring this government lives up to the expectations of the people of Kerala. The strength of our alliance lies in its plurality, and we all look forward to every constituent working in concert to build a Kerala that is prosperous, just, and forward-looking.

The people of Kerala have placed their trust in us. Let us honour it by working together to transform the state.

[C Uday Bhaskar @theUdayB]

Bravo @edmathew review of Trump-Xi summit
https://t.co/NC91OFgt8L the outcome "India fears most is that Washington & Beijing may increasingly prefer managing their rivalry together rather than organising the world into competing blocs."

Read more at: https://t.co/NC91OFgt8L

[ParanjoyGuhaThakurta @paranjoygt]

An Open Letter to LoP

If You Can’t Decide, Let The UDF MLAs Do So

À.J. Philip

Dear Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji,

It takes years to build public confidence, but only moments to squander it. I regret to say that this is precisely what the Indian National Congress, under your leadership, appears to be doing today.

It has now been a week since the election results were declared in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Puducherry. In Kerala, the United Democratic Front secured a decisive mandate, winning 102 out of 140 seats.

In neighbouring Tamil Nadu, TVK leader C. Joseph Vijay fell short of an outright majority, securing 108 seats out of 234. Yet, he was able to gather the support of parties such as the Congress and quickly form a government.

I was pleased to see you seated on the dais during the swearing-in ceremony at Nehru Stadium in Chennai today. Millions who watched Vijay take the oath of office must have been astonished by the confidence and clarity with which he delivered it from memory, without once lowering his gaze.

Never before in Indian political history has a leader recited the oath of office with such confidence and composure. In sharp contrast was a minister in Bihar who could barely read the oath because literacy itself was alien to her. The Governor, moved by sympathy, allowed her to sign the register after uttering only a few words of the oath.

You would also have noticed Vijay’s assurance to the people that there would be no power centres within his party and that anyone attempting to misuse office for personal gain would face stern action. That was leadership speaking with conviction.

Now compare this with the situation in your own party. A full week has passed, yet the Congress has failed to identify a Chief Minister. Do you not realise that K.C. Venugopal is politically insignificant without your backing? If certain MLAs are beholden to him because he financed their election campaigns, please remember that such funds were not raised by selling his ancestral property or family heirlooms. You know very well how political money is mobilised in this country.

If you cannot discipline a single MP, how can you effectively function as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha? If the Congress leadership itself is unable to arrive at a decision, then allow the 102 UDF MLAs to meet openly and democratically to elect their own leader. Let the process be transparent, and let the chosen person lead.

Please remember that public patience is wearing thin and your leadership is increasingly becoming the subject of ridicule. Do not allow indecision to diminish your stature. Lead with clarity and firmness, as Vijay did. You must also remember that it was precisely such indecision within the Congress that once enabled the BJP to form a government in Goa despite lacking the moral mandate.

History does not forgive leaders who hesitate at decisive moments; it quietly replaces them with those who do not.

Yours etc
[email protected]

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

India's foreign policy has rested on the assumption that the United States would remain adversarial toward China - whoever occupied the White House. If the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing turns accommodative, India's strategic premium would diminish. My column https://t.co/FLUhEGb8pF

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

As of May 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has undertaken 99 international trips, visiting 79 countries since taking office in May 2014. Yesterday, he discouraged Indians from undertaking foreign trips to save on foreign exchange. Let's hail the wisdom, bhakt log!

[Nala Ponnappa @PonnappaCartoon]

@edmathew @satishacharya @MANJULtoons @CartoonistSan

[E D Mathew @edmathew]

I hope some cartoonist will take this up with Modi flying off to some exotic country after delivering this message to his prajas. @PonnappaCartoon @satishacharya @MANJULtoons @CartoonistSan