THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after former State Congress president Mullapally Ramachandran unleashed his tirade against Shashi Tharoor MP for his apparent backing of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government's ambitious, Silverline project, Congress leadership has sought an explanation from the former diplomat.
KPCC president K Sudhakaran on Saturday informed that the party has sought an explanation from Tharoor on his controversial non-cooperative stand against the party on the SilverLine project. Criticizing Tharoor, Sudhakaran said Tharoor is a 'global citizen' who does not settle down within the confines of Congress.
Informing that the party has sought an explanation from Tharoor, the State Congress president did not hide his disappointment when the media repeatedly grilled him about his party colleague's non-cooperation with the party on the SilverLine project.
“Tharoor has seen the world, but that doesn't mean that he can catch fish in troubled waters. There are several leaders in the party who follow different views, but everyone has to abide by the party's discipline. My request to him is that he should toe the party's line. I have asked him to come and meet me. I am hoping that he will then explain about his stand," said Sudhakaran.
On Friday, Mullappally had urged that the Congress High Command should tame Tharoor. Mullapally had openly come out against Tharoor. He felt antagonized further after Tharoor did not sign the memorandum against Silverline claiming that he wanted to study the issue first before joining hands with other UDF MPs. This was not the first time Tharoor had taken a different stand from the Congress leadership. In the Sabarimala women entry issue and later in the privatisation of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport issue also Tharoor had taken a different stand. In the Thiruvananthapuram airport issue, the then State Congress president Mullapally had sought an explanation from Tharoor. But the party leadership did not take any action against him though then.
Tharoor's tweet on Friday eulogizing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also did not go down well with a cross-section of the Congress leaders. He had tweeted, "Enjoyed discussing Kerala's development with CM Pinarayi Vijayan. On some issues, it is necessary to put political differences aside & get on with growth. The young people of our state deserve opportunities that the current economic situation does not offer them."