THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has sought appointments with former party president Sonia Gandhi and incumbent chief Mallikarjun Kharge in an attempt to clear the air over the backlash he received from the state leadership over the second leg of his Malabar tour.
The state leadership had apparently given an adverse report to Tariq Anwar, national general secretary in charge of Kerala. Their key objection was that Tharoor did not consult the leadership before phase two Malabar tour, say sources.
Anwar had to crack the whip after senior leaders Ramesh Chennithala and K Muraleedharan made public remarks in the issue. State president K Sudhakaran’s negative remarks against the MP have added fuel to the fire.
Tharoor appears to be in damage-control mode. “As of Thursday evening, he has not got the appointment of either Kharge or Sonia. With the budget session of Parliament starting on January 31, he must be keen to clarify his stand,” a national leader told TNIE.
Party leaders are eagerly watching Tharoor’s next plan of action, especially with elections to the Congress Working Committee in the offing. While elections will determine 12 of the 23 members, Kharge’s nominees will take up the remaining 11 positions.