Shashi Tharoor’s quick trip to his home state of Kerala has drawn a lot of criticism from Congress officials there, who have publicly expressed concern over the MP’s activities and meetings. Leading Congress figures in Kerala are alarmed that Shashi Tharoor’s engagements in north Kerala are being referred to as a ‘political tour’ and have expressed worries about the potential for a new ‘Tharoor faction’.
Shashi Tharoor said, ‘I do not fear anyone and there is no need for anyone to be afraid of me,’ in response to inquiries about Congress leaders perceived to be ‘afraid’ of his tour in Kerala. Amidst simmering resentment among a section of the Congress in Kerala, a youth Congress event for Mr. Tharoor was cancelled in Kozhikode; he was eventually hosted by a pro-Congress organisation after the intervention of Kozhikode Congress MP Raghavan and other youth congress leaders.
The ‘Tharoor group ‘in the state Congress, Mr. Tharoor’s allies, have publicly denounced those they claim put a ‘unannounced ban’ on the Youth Congress seminar on ‘Sangh Parivar and Challenges to Secularism’ on Sunday. In an effort to repair the damage, sources said that the Youth Congress may still hold its Wednesday programme in Kannur. If not, a pro-Congress organisation will probably sponsor it once again.
Mr. Tharoor appeared to disparage his party while sharing photographs of the Youth Congress’ he claimed to be overwhelming participation in a series of tweets. The Congress leader tweeted, confirming rumours, ‘Wonderful reception by @iyc activists in Kozhikode after some came under pressure not to offer me a platform’.
This is Mr. Tharoor’s first significant political tour, taking him thousands of miles from his southernmost Kerala constituency of Thiruvananthapuram. The Congress MP met with the Muslim League, his party’s main ally in Kerala, during his visit to north Kerala, also known as the Malabar region.
Although this is not the first gathering of this kind, Shashi Tharoor is in a unique position because of his recent race for Congress president. He was up against Mallikarjun Kharge, who was supported by the Gandhis, and he obviously lost. Even though he stated that many states’ Congress delegates had given him the cold shoulder, Kerala provided the majority of his supporters in the race for party president. The Muslim League has been guarded about its friend in public, frequently limiting their statements to the phrase ‘it is the Congress’s internal affair,’ but they appear to support Mr. Tharoor playing a bigger role in Kerala politics.
Mr. Tharoor’s meeting with the Muslim League occurs as the partners work to patch up their differences following remarks made by Congress’s Kerala president K. Sudhakaran, which have been criticised as being pro-RSS. On November 9, Mr. Sudhakaran said that Congress supporters had shielded the BJP’s mentor, the RSS, or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, from Left cadre. The remarks, which Mr. Sudhakaran later attributed to a ‘slip of the tongue,’ were strongly criticised by the Muslim League.
On Wednesday, Mr. Tharoor will visit Kannur, the hometown of Mr. Sudhakaran, who, despite his displeasure with the tour, has made an effort to restrain political figures from making statements in public or voicing their disapproval. Additionally, Mr. Sudhakaran referred to as unfounded rumours that Mr. Tharoor was prohibited from attending public events. He said, ‘Tharoor has also refuted it’.
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