Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, MP, appears to have inadvertently exposed himself to criticism from inside his party for embarking on a “political tour” of Malabar allegedly without the concurrence of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).
Mr. Tharoor’s four-day walk-around in Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Kannur districts has seemingly pushed the Congress into another season of intra-party acrimony.
The internecine feuding has surfaced at a politically inopportune moment for Congress. For one, the fracas seems to blunt the party’s laser focus on building a credible case against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in the run-up to the Assembly session in December.
KPCC top brass
Secondly, it forced KPCC president K. Sudhakaran to publicly to put a lid on the “bitter, sneaky and often insinuating” statement war between Congress leaders arrayed for and against Mr. Tharoor. Mr. Sudhakaran said the controversy would advantage the LDF by drawing public attention away from the scandals dogging the government. Mr. Sudhakaran also frowned on leaders undertaking political campaigns without the leadership’s knowledge or sanction.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan threw his weight behind Mr. Sudhakaran. He said the KPCC president’s words were final and reflected the party’s collective will.
Row over Mayor’s ‘letter’
Privately, senior leaders slammed Mr. Tharoor for “absenting himself” from Thiruvananthapuram when the Congress was on a war path against Mayor Arya Rajendran for alleged nepotism in municipal appointments. They alleged Mr. Tharoor’s statements against the government, if at all, were few and far between.
Earlier, Mr. Tharoor drew flak from the party for “lionising” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s development agenda and seeming to support K-Rail. Mr. Tharoor had to repeatedly fend off accusations of leading a privileged ivory tower existence far removed from the trials and tribulations of ordinary Congress workers during his failed campaign for the All India Congress Committee (AICC) presidency.
Supporters’ stance
The emergent pro-Tharoor camp has countered the accusations. Denying any attempt at one-upmanship, it argues that his Malabar campaign has shored up support for the Congress and energised cadres. Mr. Tharoor’s supporters project him as a magnet for drawing youngsters, families and apolitical persons to the Congress fold. They also strongly feel that he had reaffirmed the faith of minorities in the Congress by using his Malabar visit to attack Hindutva politics incessantly.
