Shashi Tharoor calls PM Modi’s speech ‘mellifluous’, what does it mean exactly?

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has his way with words. His vocabulary is filled with words like floccinaucinihilipilification (the action or habit of estimating something as worthless) and hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (the fear of long words), which makes even the eloquent English speakers rush to find their dictionary.

Now, the Thiruvananthapuram MP has called Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech ‘mellifluous’. The adjective ‘mellifluous’ means pleasingly smooth and musical to hear. It was in response to Modi’s speech in Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The Prime Minister was replying to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the Lok Sabha when he took a jibe at Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Modi said, “Shashi Tharoor ji you have been the son-in-law of Jammu and Kashmir, you should have shown concern.” He slammed the Congress saying that it should say ‘Save the Constitution’ more often to realise their past mistakes. Modi also said that those who are talking about respect for Constitution “never even implemented it in Jammu and Kashmir for so many decades”.

“There has been the talk of ‘Save Constitution’. I agree Congress should say this 100 times in a day. Maybe they will realise their past mistakes. Did you forget this slogan during the emergency? When state governments were dismissed? When cabinet resolutions were torn?” Modi said.

Tharoor said that he doesn’t know whether to be flattered or amused to hear his name four times in the Prime Minister’s mellifluous speech. “But I was not amused that he continued to tilt at the windmills of history & reduce a solemn Constitutional occasion into an occasion for a petty political speech,” he wrote.

The Congress leader added, “He asked why those who defend the Constitution supported Article 370. I got up to reply that was because Article 370 was in the Constitution & respect for it was part of our respect for the Constitution (&the democratic processes it provides for which were disregarded on Art.370.)

“For Modiji to take credit for the Constitutional Amendment settling the border w/Bangladesh is breathtakingly disingenuous,” he tweeted. The only reason that Congress’ initiative was not implemented was BJP’s obstruction and opposition to it. “To imply Congress was the obstacle is sheer gall,” he added.