Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said the question of who could be an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "irrelevant" as in a parliamentary system people are not electing an individual but a party or a coalition of parties.

He said the alternative to Prime Minister Modi is a group of experienced, capable and diverse leaders who will be responsive to people's problems and not driven by individual ego.

In a post on X, Tharoor said, "Yet again a journalist has asked me to identify an individual who is the alternative to Mr Modi. The question is irrelevant in the Parliamentary system." "We are not electing an individual (as in a presidential system), but a party, or coalition of parties, that represents a set of principles and convictions that are invaluable to preserve India's diversity, pluralism and inclusive growth," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.

"The alternative to Mr Modi is a group of experienced, capable and diverse Indian leaders who will be responsive to people's problems and not driven by individual ego," Tharoor asserted.

Which specific person they will choose to be the prime minister is a secondary consideration, the Congress Working Committee member said.

"Protecting our democracy and diversity comes first," Tharoor asserted.

Tharoor is seeking a record fourth term from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.