Tharoor declines to comment on discussions with CPI(M), leaders dismiss move
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said that he has seen reports claiming that he had held discussions with persons associated with the CPI(M) in Dubai, but declined to comment on the matter.
While the ruling CPI (M) dismissed questions about any discussion on Tharoor joining the party as mere speculation, the Congress said he is a senior leader, any issues he had would be resolved and denied he was quitting the grand old organisation.
Tharoor, who is currently attending a literature festival in Dubai, was approached by reporters seeking his response to the reports on Sunday.
He said he saw the reports during his flight to Dubai and that it would not be appropriate to comment on such matters while being in a foreign country.
Speculation about the Thiruvananthapuram MP possibly switching to another political party surfaced following reports that he was upset over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi not adequately acknowledging him at a recent event in Kochi and over alleged repeated attempts by party leaders in the state to sideline him.
Reacting to the developments, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan on Monday dismissed questions about any discussion on Tharoor joining the party as mere speculation, saying such reports had no relevance.
"Tharoor continues to be a prominent leader of the Congress. He follows a different approach of regularly praising the BJP Prime Minister. In such a situation, I do not think rumours of him joining the CPI(M) are relevant," Govindan said.
When asked whether there would be any obstacle to accepting Tharoor if he decided to switch to the CPI(M), Govindan said the party followed a common rule of accepting individuals, groups or parties who were willing to oppose communal forces in national politics and approve of the development policies of the Left Front in the state.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, said he was unaware that Tharoor had caused any problem for the Congress.
"You give various reports and come to us for a response. What can I say about it," the senior Congress leader asked.
He said Tharoor was a senior party leader and that any issues, if at all, would be resolved.
"“If he has any complaint, the national leadership will examine it and we will bring it to their notice," he said.
UDF convener Adoor Prakash said Tharoor was a member of the Congress Working Committee and very much a party man.
He said it was wrong to project that Tharoor was leaving the Congress.
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Priyank Kharge backs AICC chief’s ‘snake’ remark, hits out at Assam CM
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday defended his father and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s "poisonous snake" remark against the BJP and RSS.
He also hit out at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, calling him "frustrated" and accusing him of "caste privilege" over his remarks on Mallikarjun Kharge.
"What has he (Mallikarjun Kharge) said? He said one must act if one encounters a poisonous snake. If you find a poisonous snake, will you feed it milk and nurture it, or will you drive it away?" Kharge asked in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "Who is sowing the seeds of communal poison in our society? Why? Should we save and nurture such ideologies and principles? No. That is what he (Mallikarjun Kharge) has said. We have been saying this for a long time, not just now."
Terming the RSS ideology and principles detrimental to the country’s and society’s progress, the minister said their perspective does not accommodate the Constitution, minorities, backward classes, Adivasis, Dalits, or even women. "They believe in Manusmriti; we follow the Constitution," he said.
Questioning what one would do upon encountering a poisonous snake, Kharge said, "Will you call a conservationist? They would take it and release it in the forest. If you don’t find a conservationist, what will you do? What do people in villages do? If an ideology is not good for the progress of the country, it should not be adopted."
At an election rally in Assam’s Sribhumi district on Monday, citing the Quran, Mallikarjun Kharge said that if a poisonous snake passes in front of someone offering namaz, the person should stop the prayer and kill the snake.
"I would say that breaking the namaz does not matter. The RSS and the BJP are that poisonous snake. If you don’t kill this snake, you will not survive," he said.
Calling Sarma "frustrated" over his remarks against the AICC chief, Priyank said Mallikarjun Kharge has been in politics for about 50 years, and that neither the BJP nor the Prime Minister has answers to the questions he raises in Parliament and outside.
"The sense of caste privilege instilled in Sarma after his RSS training was not there when he was in the Congress. Sarma belongs to the Brahmin community. He has that privilege and believes whatever he says is acceptable, whether it is against Dalits or Dalit leaders," he claimed, adding that this reflects RSS ideology and its adherence to ‘Chaturvarna’ (the four-fold varna system) thinking.
He further said Sarma comes from an "enlightened and awakened community" and believes he can speak against those from other communities.
He asked, "What does Prime Minister Modi have to say about this? Will he defend it? Will he accept comments made by his chief minister against the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha?"
Sarma triggered a row on Tuesday when he hit out at Mallikarjun Kharge, saying he was "speaking like a madman" due to old age, after the latter called for central agencies to probe allegations against the Assam CM.
Reacting to the RSS filing a police complaint against Mallikarjun Kharge over his "poisonous snake" remarks, Priyank Kharge questioned how the organisation could do so if it is not registered.
"How can the RSS file a complaint? On what letterhead has it been filed? Individuals can file complaints, but I don’t know how the RSS can do so, as it has itself said it is unregistered. On one hand, they say they are unregistered; on the other, they claim their organisation has been insulted. Does this organisation exist or not?" he said.
He alleged that while the RSS has a structure and incurs expenditure, it does not pay income tax.
"What kind of patriotism is this? Is tax evasion patriotism? Then everyone will start doing it," he claimed.
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