New Delhi : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has strongly responded to party colleague K Muraleedharan’s recent remarks suggesting that he would no longer be invited to party events in Kerala’s capital, Thiruvananthapuram, unless he changes his stance on national security issues.
Tharoor questioned the authority and credibility behind Muraleedharan’s claim, stating, “First, tell me, what is the basis of this claim? Those who are saying such things—what position do they even hold in the party? Who are they?”
Tharoor further asserted that such statements must be backed by valid reasoning, adding, “People saying this must also have a basis. Unless there is a valid reason, there is no need to respond.”
Refusing to be drawn into internal party conflicts, Tharoor told reporters, “Don’t ask me to explain other people’s behaviour. You can speak to them about their behaviour. I can only speak for myself.”
Muraleedharan, a senior Congress leader and former Union Minister, had stated on Sunday that Tharoor would not be invited to any party programme in Thiruvananthapuram until he altered his views on national security. He also remarked that Tharoor, despite being a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), was no longer viewed as “one of us” by the Kerala state unit of the party.
“He is not with us, so there’s no question of him boycotting an event. The national leadership will have to decide whether to take action against him or let him continue in the party,” Muraleedharan had said.
Muraleedharan’s comments came in the wake of Tharoor’s recent statements emphasizing that “the nation comes first” and that political parties are only a means to serve the country.
Further escalating the intra-party tension, Muraleedharan on Monday accused Tharoor of regularly criticizing the Congress and its top leadership. “He even attacked Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. He consistently opposes Rahul Gandhi’s views. That’s why we are not ready to cooperate with him in Kerala,” he said.
The Congress high command has yet to comment publicly on the controversy, but the exchange has highlighted simmering divisions within the party’s Kerala unit ahead of upcoming electoral battles.
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