NEW DELHI: Backing Shashi Tharoor’s claims of an ‘uneven playing field’ in the party’s internal election, Congress MP from Assam, Pradyut Bordoloi said that the current leadership is rallying behind Tharoor’s opponent Mallikarjun Kharge.
Bordoloi, who had extended support to Tharoor, also said that he is putting up a spirited fight despite the odds against him. Bordoloi said that there are several reasons to believe that Kharge is the favoured candidate of the top brass.
“When Kharge arrived in Assam for campaigning, the AICC general secretary in charge of Assam, accompanied him in the same flight. It’s not an impartial gesture and goes against the spirit of the election,” said Bordoloi. Five MPs including Bordoloi and Tharoor had written to the Congress election authority about the need for free and fair elections.
Bordoloi, one of the proposers of Tharoor’s candidature, rued that efforts are being made to stop Tharoor from meeting voters. “Anywhere you go, one can feel that Tharoor is playing on an uneven pitch,” he said.
The leader also said that he is ready to face consequences, if any, for rooting for Tharoor.