'No invite for Tharoor to Cong events till ...': Party leader's remark blows rift wide open

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress person K Muraleedharan connected Sunday launched a scathing onslaught against chap enactment MP Shashi Tharoor, declaring that the Thiruvananthapuram parliamentarian volition not beryllium invited to immoderate Congress events successful the authorities superior until helium changes his presumption connected nationalist information matters.Muraleedharan, a salient fig successful the Kerala Congress unit, said Tharoor was nary longer seen arsenic “one of us” and hinted astatine disciplinary enactment from the party’s nationalist leadership. "Till helium (Tharoor) changes his stance, we volition not invitation him to immoderate enactment programme held successful Thiruvananthapuram. He is not with us, truthful determination is nary question of him boycotting an event," said Muraleedharan portion talking to reporters arsenic quoted by PTI.

His remarks came a time aft Tharoor, a Congress Working Committee (CWC) member, defended his basal connected nationalist information astatine an lawsuit successful Kochi. Tharoor had said, “To my mind, the federation comes first. Parties are a means of making the federation better.” He acknowledged facing disapproval from wrong the enactment for supporting the equipped forces and the cardinal authorities connected caller nationalist information issues."But I volition basal my crushed due to the fact that I judge this is the close happening for the country," Tharoor said, adding that erstwhile leaders similar him advocator cross-party practice successful the involvement of nationalist security, their ain parties often presumption it arsenic disloyalty, which helium described arsenic “a large problem.”

This is not the archetypal clip Muraleedharan has publically criticised Tharoor. Earlier, helium took a excavation astatine the MP implicit the sharing of a survey that suggested Tharoor was the United Democratic Front’s astir preferred campaigner for main minister. “He should archetypal determine which enactment helium belongs to,” Muraleedharan had said according to PTI.Tensions person been rising betwixt Tharoor and the Congress, peculiarly aft his comments successful the aftermath of the Pahalgam panic attack, which immoderate enactment leaders judge weakened the Congress’s position.Muraleedharan besides attacked Tharoor implicit a paper nonfiction successful which the MP criticised erstwhile Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s handling of the Emergency. Muraleedharan said that if Tharoor feels constrained wrong the Congress, helium should take a “clear governmental path.”