Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has hit out at party colleague K Muraleedharan over his claim that Tharoor would no longer be invited to party events in the Kerala state capital.
Dismissing the remark as "baseless", Tharoor questioned Muraleedharan’s authority within the party and insisted that there must be a valid reason behind such statements.
“First, tell me, what is the basis of this claim?” Tharoor said, responding to media questions on Tuesday. “Those who are saying such things, what position do they even hold in the party? Who are they?”
Have a look at his entire statement here:
Rift Deepens Over 'National Security' Comment
The public spat comes after Muraleedharan’s comments on Sunday, July 20, in which he criticised Tharoor’s recent stance on national security and claimed that the Thiruvananthapuram MP was “no longer one of us”. Muraleedharan also added that Tharoor would not be invited to party functions in the state capital unless he changed his position.
“Till he changes his stance, we will not invite him to any party programme held in Thiruvananthapuram. He is not with us, so there is no question of him boycotting an event,” Muraleedharan said. He further alleged that Tharoor often opposes Rahul Gandhi’s statements and even criticised former Congress leaders like Indira and Sanjay Gandhi.
Have a look at his statement here:
Tharoor, in response, refused to comment on the behaviour of others, saying, “Don’t ask me to explain other people’s behaviour. You talk to them about their behaviour. I can only talk about my own behaviour.”
Congress High Command to Decide on Action
Muraleedharan added that it is ultimately up to the party’s national leadership to decide on any disciplinary action against Tharoor. “The final authority will be the Congress high command, which will decide whether to take action against him or allow him to remain in the party,” he told reporters.
