Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor said in Sulthan Bathery on Monday that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) would come to power in Kerala this time, adding that there are many leaders in the party who are eligible to become Chief Minister.
Speaking to the media at the Congress leadership camp in Sulthan Bathery, Tharoor said he had never deviated from the party line and had never praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I have never praised Modi anywhere. People make news by looking only at headlines. That is what happens when you take just one word out of a thousand,” he said.
Stating that he had always followed the party line, Tharoor said that although he had expressed his opinions on various issues, there had been no deviation from the party’s fundamental position.
“I have never deviated from the party line. While I have expressed my views on different issues, there has been no change in the fundamental line of the party. My speeches and questions in Parliament do not cause any disagreement with the Congress party. When the media makes some of the things I say in public controversial, some people comment only after reading the headlines. If you ask them whether they have read the full report, they will say no. Once they read it fully, they begin to understand. Now there is no such problem. Everything is done with love. After working together for 17 years, there should be no misunderstandings,” Tharoor said.
On the Congress nominee for the Chief Minister’s post, Tharoor said the party’s MLAs would decide who would become the Chief Minister. He reiterated that there are several leaders in the party who are eligible for the post.
Tharoor further said that the so-called Kerala model has now turned into a “model of debt,” with more money being spent on interest payments than on development.