Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday, while continuing his Malabar tour, met senior leaders of UDF-ally IUML at Panakkad here and also said that he fears no one and there is no reason for anyone to fear him. In response to a query by the media as to who was afraid of his tour in Kerala, Tharoor said, "I do not fear anyone and there is no need for anyone to be afraid of me."
His remarks assume significance amidst speculation that some of the Congress leadership in Kerala appear to be apprehensive over the increasing support he was enjoying and the emergence of a 'Tharoor group' within the party in the state. Tharoor, however, downplayed his meeting with the IUML leaders at the residence of Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal by saying that it was just a courtesy call on the way to an event in the district.
Other senior Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders present there also termed his visit as nothing unusual and said they all go and meet Thangal whenever they pass through the area. The MP from Thiruvananthapuram, also accompanied by his staunch supporter and MP M K Raghavan, also told reporters that he has no intention or interest in creating a group.
"Some are saying it's (his tour) divisive tactics or groupism. We do not intend to create any group nor are we interested in it. Congress is already full of 'A' and 'I' groups and there is no need to add any more alphabets like 'O' and 'V'. "If there has to be an alphabet, it should be 'U' for a united Congress which is what we all need.
There is nothing unusual about this visit. I fail to see the need to make a big deal out of two UDF MPs meeting an ally's leaders," Tharoor said. He said that at a time when divisive politics was active in the country, there was a need for politics which would bring together everyone and it was praiseworthy that IUML recently held programmes to promote brotherhood in Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai.
However, after giving a nightmare to the national leadership of the Congress when he threw his hat to contest the party President's poll, Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor now appears to be giving sleepless nights to a section of the leaders in the state party unit.
Though he lost the presidential poll by a mile, his stock among the politically conscious Keralaites reached dizzy heights and it's now clear that a section of Congress leaders in the state also has put their money on him. This was evident, after the Youth Congress in Kozhikode reportedly backed off from a seminar after inviting him. Following the incident, party's Lok Sabha member from Kozhikode MK Raghavan has demanded a probe into it.
The Congress party in Kerala has always been divided between factions and it all began with K Karunakaran vs AK Antony and then came Oommen Chandy Vs Ramesh Chennithala and the present factions are mainly dominated by state party president K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan. But unlike the previous factions, the present one lacks the punch and Tharoor has entered the fray to try his luck and it met with instant success when K Muraleedharan, his Lok Sabha colleague and son of Karunakaran, who on Monday said there is no need to conduct a probe on what happened at Kozhikode.
"Everyone knows what happened and hence there is no need for any probe. It's only things that are not known, that a probe is needed for. Since I need to maintain party discipline, I will not speak out in the public domain," said Muraleedharan. Tharoor's visit to North Kerala will only benefit the party and all the hustle and bustle one hears now is nothing but angling for the post of chief minister. A media critic on condition of anonymity said compared to giants like Karunakaran, Antony or Chandy in the present scheme of things in the party, none has that sort of exalted status.
"And it's here, Tharoor scores over others like Sudhakaran, Chennithala or Satheesan. Those opposed to Tharoor know that if any breathing space is provided to Tharoor, they might all have to play second fiddle to him. To avoid such a thing, the leaders have all ganged up against Tharoor," said the critic. This is the reason why the Congress just cannot unitedly take on the faltering Pinarayi Vijayan government, he added.
Now all eyes are on Tharoor's visit to the top leaders in the Indian Union Muslim League- the second biggest ally of the Congress, as part of his north Kerala trip. Playing down the visit, veteran IUML legislator PK Kunhalikutty said its a common practice for top leaders of political parties to call on IUML supremo. Only time will reveal the impact of Tharoor's visit and it could be nerve-racking for those already stricken by Tharoor phobia.
After meeting Tharoor, Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said that his family has had close relations with the MP ever since he came to Kerala.
"He is invited to all important events, occasions. Therefore, when he was here, he came to meet us," Thangal said. On being asked if he wants Tharoor to be active in Kerala politics, he said, "He (Tharoor) is already active. He is an MP from Kerala. He won twice from here. He is not confined to Thiruvananthapuram. He is a good campaigner."
Tharoor's Malabar tour appears to have rattled a significant section in Congress in Kerala with a few of them sensing an "agenda" behind the Thiruvananthapuram MP's move. Tharoor's opponents in the party feel that through his programmes he was trying to position himself as an ideal Chief Ministerial candidate of the Congress-led UDF for the 2026 Assembly polls to end the rule of the CPI(M)-led LDF in the state.
Congress MP K Muraleedharan, former president of the KPCC and son of legendary Congress leader K Karunakaran, also indicated as much when he on Monday said that the restriction on Congress members participating in an event to which Tharoor was invited may have been imposed by some who desire to be the party's chief minister candidate in Kerala and may have been feeling threatened by Tharoor's activities in the state. (with Agency inputs)
