In a veiled warning to Shashi Tharoor, AICC General Secretary Tariq Anwar said that nobody is above party line and the Congress MP must also follow the norms set by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), which is the ultimate authority.
“KPCC chief and Leader of the Opposition have already issued statements and I support them. not only Tharoor, but all Congress leaders must also follow the norms set by the Committee. nobody is above the party. The All India Congress Committee (AICC) will not interfere in the issue. If the KPCC files any complaint against Tharoor, then we will intervene,” said Anwar, adding that he is yet to speak to Tharoor on the issue.
On Tuesday, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan warned that the party wouldn’t tolerate any ‘factional politics’ and will be dealt with utmost seriousness.
Earlier, KPCC president K Sudhakaran had asked Congress leaders to refrain from making any statements on ‘Tharoor tour’. The three- time MP is in the eye of a storm after he kicked off his north Kerala tour in an apparent effort to expand his political clout in the state. A row broke out after the Youth Congress backed out from hosting Tharoor’s talk, reportedly after receiving instructions from senior leaders, who were rattled by an emerging ‘Tharoor faction’.
Tharoor’s meeting with the top leadership of Congress-ally Muslim League in Malappuram, has also ruffled feathers in the party as a section of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is miffed with certain pro-RSS remarks by the KPCC president. Commenting on Tharoor’s meeting with the IUML leaders, Anwar said, “Tharoor is free to meet Muslim League leaders or anyone personally. However, he has to follow the party line. That applies for all party workers,” he said.
When asked about whether ‘Tharoor faction’ is emerging in the party, the leader said that he doesn’t have any intention to get involved in the issue. “I can only say that the PCC has the authority and they will take appropriate decisions,” he said. “I spoke to V D Satheesan today and he assured me that everyone is on the same page with the leadership,” said Anwar. Though Tharoor demanded a probe into the cancellation of his function by the Youth Congress in Kozhikode, Anwar said that the KPCC will take a call on it.