Kerala Congress seeks explanation from Shashi Tharoor for praising PM Modi

Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has landed himself in hot water by praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee has issued a notice to him seeking explanation over the matter. He is facing the ire of party colleagues in Kerala for his comments that PM Modi should be praised for doing the right things.

"We will seek an explanation from Shashi Tharoor for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The future course of action will be decided based on his explanation," Kerala Congress President Mullappally Ramachandran said in Kannur.

Ramachandran and Leader of Opposition in Kerala House Ramesh Chennithala criticised Tharoor on Sunday and on Monday K Muraleedharan, Benny Behanan and TN Prathapan took a potshot at the Thiruvananthapuram MP.

Tharoor and his colleague Abishek Singhvi had last week supported party leader Jairam Ramesh who has said that not recognising Modi’s work and “demonising” him all the time was not going to help.

Replying to questions from reporters at Haripad in Alapuzha on Tharoor’s stand, Chennithala had said the Centre was taking decisions which were ‘unacceptable’ to the people and there was no need to glorify Modi over one good act.

“The Congress will continue to fight against the Modi government’s wrong policies,” he added.

“There is no need to glorify Modi over one good act after his government committed thousands of wrong doings. Modi’s rules and his actions are not supported by the people and so there is no need to glorify his acts”, the senior party leader alleged.

Ramachandran told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that Tharoor had vehemently opposed the BJP-NDA government for five years.

“I do not know what change has come in the last one week.  I do not know how he can back the Modi government now”, he said adding he would speak to him over the matter.

Tharoor on his part on Sunday defended the remarks made by him, Singhvi and Jairam Ramesh.

“What Jairam Ramesh and Singhvi have said is not wrong. If Modi has done something good, we should acknowledge it.  Otherwise we will lose credibility among the people. If there is need, we should severely criticise him,” he told a Malayalam TV channel.

Former union minister Jairam Ramesh had recently said Modi’s model was not a “complete negative story” and not recognising his work and demonising him all the time is not going to help.