Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan on Friday lashed out at party MP Shashi Tharoor over his recent statements praising Prime Minister Modi and crticising Congress leaders.
Speaking to media persons here, Muraleedharan said if he (Tharoor) is feeling suffocated, he should leave the party and adopt the politics of his choice. He said going forward in the current manner will create difficulties for both the party and Tharoor.
The former KPCC president asked Tharoor to decide whether he wants to continue within the Congress or pursue an independent political path. “There are two paths before him – either he should submit to the party and focus on the responsibilities given by the party. If there are differences of opinion, they should be expressed within the party. If he is feeling suffocated within the party, he should leave the party and adopt the politics of his choice. Going forward in the current manner will create difficulties for the party as well as Tharoor,” Muraleedharan said.
If the current trend continues, Tharoor’s political personality is likely to disappear, Muraleedharan added.
Responding to a query on Tharoor’s frequent praise for leaders from other parties, including Prime minister Modi, Muraleedharan said he praises everyone except Congress leaders. He praises Modi and Pinarayi Vijayan.
He also said that Congress does not want to discuss the Tharoor issue anymore.
Muraleedharan’s criticism of Tharoor comes a day after he (Tharoor) had written an article in a Malayalam daily, Deepika, strongly criticising the Emergency period and directly targeting Indira Gandhi.