New Delhi, Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor was “relieved” on Thursday as the Kerala Congress accepted his reply on the issue of “praising” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that unfortunate episode was over.
“I am relieved that the KPCC has accepted my reply and this unfortunate and unnecessary episode is over. I am grateful to all those who have stood by me, but will be making no further comment on this matter,” Tharoor tweeted.
On Wednesday, in his reply to the Kerala Congress chief’s notice, Tharoor said he would be grateful if he could point to the precise statement “he made that does that, because he has done no such thing”.
“On the contrary, I would urge you to look at parliamentary debates and find me, one leader from our state who has made 10 per cent of the effort, I made to study, research, anticipate and oppose the Modi government on every Bill they sought to introduce against the spirit of Constitution and the values of the Congress,” said the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha member.
“I intervened more than 50 times in Parliament and spoke against 17 Bills with courage and conviction. Can any of my critics from Kerala say they have done so? Who on earth can credibly accuse me of a ‘volte face’ from the stand I took when I sat alongside you in the last Lok Sabha,” he asked.
“You are aware of all of this. So what’s this outcry about? It’s based on “hysterical reactions to distorted reporting of a single tweet I issued supporting remarks by Jairam Ramesh and Abhishekh Singhvi.”
“”I want the Congress, together with progressive, secular and liberal parties, to come back to power. For that, nationally, it’s not enough to keep attracting the core Congress supporters. We need to win back the trust — and the votes — of those who deserted us for the BJP in the last two elections.
“That requires addressing what has attracted them to Modi. Then, our criticism has more credibility. That’s all I have been saying,” he said in his reply.
