Tag: THAROOR

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Kerala Politics

Tharoor accepts Chandrasekhar’s challenge

Shashi Tharoor said that he welcomed the debate but also accused Rajeev Chandrasekhar of evading the debate till now…reports Asian Lite News

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has accepted the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s challenge to have a debate on the development of Thiruvananthapuram.

In his post on X, Tharoor said that he welcomed the debate but also accused Chandrasekhar of evading the debate till now.

“Yes, I welcome a debate. But the people of Thiruvananthapuram are aware of who has been evading a debate till now. Let us debate politics and development. Let us debate price hike, unemployment, corruption, communalism and the BJP’s 10 years of propagating politics of hatred,” he said.

“Let us also discuss about the development of Thiruvananthapuram and the visible progress we have made in the last 15 years,” Tharoor added.

Earlier in a post on X, Chandrasekhar accused Tharoor of spreading misinformation during a recent interview with the Kerala-based news organization where he falsely accused Chandrasekhar of offering money to religious leaders and key voters in the constituency.

In his post on X Rajeev said, “We have been debating in multiple forums during the last two weeks, and people have seen you struggle for answers to my questions on these occasions. Forced into a defensive mode, you chose to disseminate falsehoods that not only defamed me but also besmirched numerous social and religious organizations within my constituency. Therefore, to start with, you need to answer the following questions I have posed to you.”

“I demand an immediate retraction of these baseless accusations and a sincere apology directed towards me and to these esteemed individuals. After that, let’s engage in a constructive debate for the comprehensive development of Thiruvananthapuram,” Chandrasekhar added.

Chandrasekhar took another dig at Tharoor, saying contesting elections is not about being a global citizen or impressing people with mastery of English, but about addressing the people’s pressing needs and effecting positive change in their lives.

“My mission is to propel the development of Thiruvananthapuram, which has been stagnating for several years, in reverse mode. Thiruvananthapuram wants progress, development, employment, and investment. This can be achieved through the politics of performance,” he said while addressing a meeting of his voters in the state capital city.

The Union Minister contended that for the past 15 years, there has been a “continuous effort to distract the public from serious developmental issues by focusing on trivial matters and falsehoods” and urged people to stay away from such negative politics.

“I entered politics 18 years ago with the sole aim of making a positive impact on people’s lives. There are still many households in Thiruvananthapuram which lack access to safe drinking water and gas connections that should be available under the Ujwal Yojana subsidy. These needs should no longer be just on paper. I have taken it upon myself as a mission to transform their lives. Working under the Narendra Modi government, I am committed to doing just that,” he said.

“I have come here with a mandate to make a difference by attracting investments and fostering development in Thiruvananthapuram. My mantra is the politics of performance. We need innovation, development, employment, and investment. I have a clear vision for this, and I am ready to show you the results. My mission is to implement it. As the son of an IAF officer, my foremost priority is to serve the nation and make India proud until my last breath,” said Chandrasekhar, who is also pitted against former Thiruvananthapuram MP Pannyan Raveendran, of the CPI.

Notably, a letter has been sent to the Election Commission of India, the Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala, and Adeela Abdullah, the Additional Chief Electoral Officer & Additional Secretary Nodal Officer of Model Code of Conduct, Kerala, stating that Tharoor violated the Model Code of Conduct by spreading falsehoods and misinformation about Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

The letter sent on Monday was written by advocate VV Rajesh, the NDA convener for Trivandrum Parliamentary constituency.

Notably, the constituency of Thiruvananthapuram will go to the polls on April 26 during the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections. This constituency in Kerala is being closely watched due to a high-profile contest between Congress’ Shashi Tharoor and the BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

UDF, BJP afraid of poll verdict in state: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday attacked the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the BJP, saying that they are afraid of the Lok Sabha election verdict in the state.

He accused the BJP-led central government of discrimination in financial allocations concerning the state.

“Both UDF and BJP are afraid of the election verdict. The Central government is the cause of the financial crisis. Both parties want to hide this. Kerala does not feature among the states with higher borrowing rates,” Vijayan told the media here.

Earlier, CM Vijayan had said the CPI (M) manifesto pledges to repeal the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, whereas the Congress manifesto is silent on the issue.

“The CPI (M) manifesto pledges to repeal the CAA whereas the Congress manifesto remains silent on the issue,” he said.

The Central government notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, on March 11, days before the announcement of the schedule for Lok Sabha polls.

Pinarayi Vijayan

The bill concerning CAA was passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019.

The 2019 Act amended the Citizenship Act, 1955 and provides that people are eligible for citizenship if they belong to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian communities and entered India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan. It only applies to migrants who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

Kerala sends 20 parliamentarians to the Lok Sabha and voting will take place on April 26.

The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be held in seven phases, starting on April 19. The counting of votes is on June 4. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Tharoor echoes Pinarayi’s ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ remark

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Tharoor echoes Pinarayi’s ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ remark

Shashi Tharoor said that our country’s history is much more complicated than the black-and-white versions that someone in the “BJP or Hindutva movement would like you to believe”…reports Asian Lite News

Reacting to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s statements that ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Hind’ were first raised by two Muslims, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that our country’s history is much more complicated than the black-and-white versions that someone in the “BJP or Hindutva movement would like you to believe”.

The Congress MP echoed similar sentiments and said, “The fact is that we used to be a country where such distinctions did not matter so much, where indeed someone like Netaji Bose had amongst his closest aides people of every faith. He was accompanied by a Muslim Colonel in the fatal plane crash. That is the gentleman who had coined the phrase ‘Jai Hind’ for him.”

He further added that ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ goes back to the Muslim aide of a Hindu Peshwa.

“Earlier, ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ goes back to the Muslim aide of a Hindu Peshwa. So, that’s the way our country used to work. We were not always drawing distinctions on the basis of religion,” the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram added.

Tharoor argued against reducing historical events to binary divisions based on religion and urged for a more nuanced understanding of India’s rich and diverse heritage.

“When you think of something like the Battle of Haldighati, who was fighting for the Maharana? Hakim Khan Sur, a Muslim general. Who was fighting for the Mughal Emperor? It was a Rajput King. You have to understand that our history is much more complicated than the black-and-white versions that someone in the BJP or Hindutva movement would like you to believe,” Tharoor said.

When asked about CAA, he said that Muslims are educated like everybody else and they will know what is going on.

“I think it is very clear that they are making a brazen attempt to try and corner the Muslim vote. Muslims are educated like everybody else. They will know what is going on,” he added.

Earlier on Monday, the Kerala Chief Minister claimed that ‘Bharat mata ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Hind’ were first coined by two Muslims, challenging the BJP to renounce the slogans.

“Now, in some programmes we hear some Sangh Parivar leaders asking people to chant ‘Bharat mata ki Jai’. Who coined the slogan Bharat mata ki jai? Was it some Sangh Parivar leader? I don’t know if the Sangh Parivar knows this. His name is Azimullah Khan. I don’t know if they know that he is not a Sangh Parivar leader,” the Kerala CM said.

He said, “He was the Prime Minister to the Maratha Peshwa Nana Saheb in the 19th century. We should know that he coined the term Bharat Mata ki Jai. I don’t know if Sangh Parivar will decide not to chant the slogan since it was framed by a Muslim?”

On March 11, the Central Government notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, which effectively brought into force the controversial CAA of 2019. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Tharoor Accuses Left of Dividing Votes

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India News Kerala Politics

Tharoor Accuses Left of Dividing Votes

BJP has fielded Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar against Congress MP Tharoor…reports Asian Lite News

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday alleged that the “only effect” of the CPI’s campaign against him in Thiruvananthapuram is to “divide the anti-BJP vote”.

In a post on X, the senior Congress leader said, “It’s ironic that the same @cpofindia that complains about @RahulGandhi’s candidature in Wayanad is playing the BJP’s game in Thiruvananthapuram”.

His post added: “The only effect of the CPI’s campaign against me in Thiruvananthapuram is to divide the anti-BJP vote. And they preach alliance dharma in Wayanad!”

Reacting to this, CPI General Secretary D Raja said it is left that is “fighting the communal and fascist forces”.

“It is an absurd statement. An educated man like Shashi Tharoor must understand the history of Kerala properly. It is the Left that is fighting the communal and fascist forces…so many Congress leaders are leaving and joining BJP…,” he said.

Hitting back, the CPI leader questioned why is the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contesting from Wayanad in Kerala.

“Rahul Gandhi claims that he is spearheading the fight against BJP, then why is he contesting from Wayanad and fighting against LDF? Congress must explain, what message they want to convey to people. Who are their main political enemies…,” Raja told ANI on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Tharoor believes that his work over the last 15 years in the constituency will speak for itself.

“I’ve served the people of Thiruvananthapuram for 15 years. They know me and have seen my service. It’s not as if I’ve got anything to be ashamed of in my track record. I’ve been consistently available and attended to all the major issues,” he said. “It’s always been a three-cornered fight here because I took the seat from the LDF. They had won it two times before me and then in the last two times, the BJP came second. So we have to take both candidates seriously. I’m very confident that I would prevail,” Shashi Tharoor said on Monday.

BJP has fielded Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar against Congress MP Tharoor.

Pannyan Raveendran, the Left Democratic Front’s Lok Sabha candidate from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency, said that the main fight in the constituency is between the LDF and the Congress-led UDF.

“The main contest is between LDF and UDF. BJP is irrelevant in Thiruvananthapuram,” Raveendran who won the constituency in 2005 told ANI on Tuesday.

Kerala will hold elections in a single phase on April 26. There are 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala and the BJP has never won a parliamentary seat in the state.

Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA won 353 seats, the UPA stood at 91, and Others won 98. (ANI)

Alathur: A Prestige Battle For CPI(M), Congress

CPI(M) stakes prestige on popular face K. Radhakrishnan while Congress fields incumbent Remya Haridas to defend Alathur constituency.

Alathur Lok Sabha constituency, a reserved constituency this time, will witness an intense battle between the CPI(M) and the Congress.

The battle is prestigious for the CPI(M) as it has given the seat to one its most popular faces — State Minister of ST/SC and Devasoms K. Radhakrishnan, whose Assembly constituency Chelakara also is in Alathur.

The Congress has repeated its candidate, Remya Haridas, who has been asked to defend the seat.

While Alathur is in Palakkad district, this constituency has four Assembly constituencies from the district and three from the Trissur district.

The CPI(M)-led Left holds all the seven Assembly constituencies.

While Radhakrishnan, is a former Speaker of the Assembly and also a state minister when he won his debut election in 1996, Remya Haridas stole the limelight in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when she trounced sitting youth CPI(M) leader P.K. Biju, who was looking for a hat-trick win from Alathur.

Haridas, also a youth leader, walked into the hearts of her voters in 2019 by singing songs during her campaign. She won the seat with a massive margin of over 1.58 lakh votes.

“Yes, this time also I will reach out to my voters by singing songs and I don’t think there is anything wrong in it,” said Remya and started singing a few lines when she was spotted at her campaign.

But Radhakrishnan and the CPI(M) know that the margin that their seven candidates got from the Assembly polls in 2021, which fall in the Alathur Lok Sabha constituency, is in excess of two lakh votes and that’s their strength.

What has raised eyebrows is the BJP-led NDA is yet to announce their candidate and with Prime Minister Narendra Modi arriving at Palakkad on Tuesday, they are expected to announce the name soon.

At the 2019 polls, the BJP-led NDA candidate won around 89,000 votes.

Incidentally, Alathur constituency was formed in 2009 after being carved out from the erstwhile Ottapalam Lok Sabha constituency and nearby areas.

The Ottapalam Lok Sabha seat came into national reckoning as it was from here that the country’s former President K.R. Narayanan won three successive elections in 1984, 1989 and 1991 before occupying the top chair. In 1992 he became the Vice-President and five years later the President.

ALSO READ-Tharoor confident of winning polls

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India News Kerala Politics

Tharoor confident of winning polls

This is the first time that Chandrasekhar has been fielded for Lok Sabha polls. He also served as a national spokesperson of the BJP…reports Asian Lite News

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said that he has served the people of Thiruvananthapuram for 15 years and he is “very confident” of winning the Lok Sabha seat again.

“I’ve served the people of Thiruvananthapuram for 15 years. They know me and have seen my service. It’s not as if I’ve got anything to be ashamed of in my track record. I’ve been consistently available and attended to all the major issues,” he said.

“It’s always been a three-cornered fight here because I took the seat from the LDF. They had won it two times before me and then in the last two times, the BJP came second. So we have to take both candidates seriously. I’m very confident that I would prevail,” Tharoor added.

Notably, BJP has fielded Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar against Congress MP Tharoor.

This is the first time that Chandrasekhar has been fielded for Lok Sabha polls. He also served as a national spokesperson of the BJP.

“This is the campaign I look forward to, the campaign I will start very shortly. I will confront the vital issues of the people of Trivandrum,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar said.

Congress released its first list of candidates for 39 Lok Sabha constituencies. The names have been announced for Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshwadeep, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Telangana and Tripura.

Of the total 39 candidates announced, 16 are from Kerala, seven from Karnataka and six from Chhattisgarh, four from Telangana. Two from Meghalaya and one each from Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Lakshwadeep. The list was released after the party held its Central Election Committee meeting on Thursday.

The BJP has already released its first list of 195 candidates. The Lok Sabha polls are likely to be held in April-May this year. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Shashi Tharoor Warns of 1M Youth Exodus

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Pilot, Tharoor in CWC as Kharge rejigs leadership

The move to bring Pilot into the party’s central leadership could be part of the Congress’s strategy to avoid any war of words with Gehlot ahead of the crucial state elections….reports Asian Lite News

In a significant development, Congress leader Sachin Pilot, who has been sounding discordant notes against the party and is not known to see eye-to-eye with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, was drafted into the Congress Working Committee on Sunday.

Ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly polls, scheduled later this year, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge brought key changes to the CWC on Sunday.

Apart from Pilot being drafted into the party’s central leadership, the likes of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Shashi Tharoor, Jairam Ramesh, Naseer Hussain, Alka Lamba, Supriya Srinate, Praniti Shinde, Pawan Khera, Ganesh Godiyal, and Yashomati Thakur also found places in the panel.

After being drafted into the party’s central leadership, Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday pledged to “strengthen the customs and ideology” of the party.

In a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), Pilot thanked the senior party leaders for the decision and said, “I express my gratitude to respected Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former President Rahul Gandhi for making me a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). We all will strengthen the customs and ideology of the Congress and take it more strongly to the people.”

The move to bring Pilot into the party’s central leadership could be part of the Congress’s strategy to avoid any war of words with Gehlot ahead of the crucial state elections.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, CM Gehlot said the Congress would return to power by a handsome majority in the upcoming Assembly elections this year.

A meeting of Rajasthan Congress leaders was also held in the presence of the party’s state unit president Govind Singh Dotasara, CM Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, and party’s state in charge, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa in Jaipur.

After the meeting, Gehlot told media persons, “The Congress will return with a huge mandate. The people have made up their minds to bring us back to power in Rajasthan.”

He further said the party’s poll preparations are already underway.

On August 17, the BJP announced the formation of the state’s election manifesto committee and the Rajasthan election management committee.

Lok Sabha MP Arjun Ram Meghwal was named the chairman of the BJP’s state manifesto committee, with Lal Meena, Alka Gurjar, Ravi Rajendra Singh, Subhash Maurya, Prabhu Lal Saini, and Rakhi Rathore as co-conveners.

In 2018, the Congress won 99 seats while the BJP settled at 73 seats in the 200-member house. The Congress led by Ashok Gehlot formed the government with the support of Independents and the BSP. (ANI)

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. (File Photo: IANS)

Deeply humbled, grateful: Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said that he is “deeply humbled and grateful to be a part” after he was included in the Congress Working Committee headed by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

Tharoor said he bows to the party workers who are the “lifeblood” of the party adding that without them it is impossible to accomplish anything.

“I am honoured by the decision of the Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the Congress central leadership to make me a full-time member of the Congress Working Committee…I am deeply humbled and grateful to be a part of this major institution alongside my valued colleagues. I have to say that none of us can truly accomplish anything without the lakhs of committed party workers who are the lifeblood of the party. Today, above all, I bow to them”, MP Tharoor said.

Senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan said that he is fully dedicated to upholding the values and principles of the party adding that he accepts the responsibility with “great humility.”

“I am truly honoured and deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). It is with great humility that I accept this responsibility and commit to working tirelessly towards the betterment of Congress Party and the nation as a whole,” Chavan said in a tweet on X.

Further, in the tweet, he added, “I am fully dedicated to upholding the values and principles of Congress Party, and to contributing to its growth and success. I look forward to working closely with fellow colleagues and the congress leadership to address the challenges that lie ahead and to chart a path towards a brighter future for our country.”

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Tharoor lauds India’s abstention of vote at UNSC

The draft resolution to exempt humanitarian aid efforts from sanctions and presented by the US and Ireland, was adopted by 14 members of the 15-member Council…reports Asian Lite News

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday applauded India’s abstention from the vote in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on a resolution that exempts humanitarian aid efforts from sanctions.

Taking to social media, Tharoor expressed his total agreement with India’s reservations which led to its abstention and added that one need not have to look far across the border for evidence to substantiate what India’s top ambassador to UN Ruchira Kamboj said in her statement. “While understanding the humanitarian concerns behind the resolution, I agree fully with India’s reservations that prompted its abstention. We don’t have to look far across the border for evidence to substantiate @ruchirakamboj’s words. Well done, @IndiaUNNewYork @DrSJaishankar,” Tharoor tweeted.

The draft resolution to exempt humanitarian aid efforts from sanctions and presented by the US and Ireland, was adopted by 14 members of the 15-member Council.

In the explanation of vote, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj said that India’s concerns were triggered by proven instances of terrorist groups including Pakistan-based terrorist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed “taking full advantage of such humanitarian carve-outs and making a mockery of sanctions regimes.”

Kamboj said “There have been several cases of terrorist groups in our neighbourhood, reincarnating themselves as humanitarian organizations and civil society groups precisely to evade the sanctions. These terrorist organizations use the umbrella of the humanitarian assistance space to raise funds and recruit fighters.”

In a subliminal reference to Pakistan, Kamboj continued, “India will call for caution and due diligence be used when providing humanitarian aid to groups that are prohibited under UN Security Council Resolution 1267, who continue to thrive with full state hospitality in territories universally acknowledged by the international community as terrorist havens.”

UNSC approved the resolution exempting humanitarian aid from all current and future UN sanctions regimes, a vote the United States hailed as “historic” that will save lives and address longstanding problems of sanctions impeding aid deliveries.

The draft resolution was adopted-14 votes in favour, zero against and one absentation. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Tharoor seeks probe into Youth Congress backing off from seminar

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Fail to understand why G-23 are backing off: Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor

It’s going to be Mallikarjun Kharge versus Shashi Tharoor in the Congress Presidential polls scheduled on October 17…writes Mohammad Suaib Khan

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Saturday that he fails to understand as to why the G-23 leaders, who earlier talked about polls in the party, are now backing off and talking about general consensus.

It’s going to be Mallikarjun Kharge versus Shashi Tharoor in the Congress Presidential polls scheduled on October 17. And Kharge has got the support of not only the senior leadership of the party, but the G-23 leaders as well.

Tharoor said that polls for the post of Congress President are being held after five years. The last election was held in 2017, which Rahul Gandhi had won unanimously. The last contested election was held in 2000, when Sonia Gandhi defeated Jitendra Prasada by a huge margin.

The Gandhi family has decided that it will not endorse any candidate this time. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi both are of the view that polls will strengthen the party, which is very good, Tharoor said.

Here are excerpts from the interview:

Are you disappointed for not getting G-23 leaders’ support?

G-23 is not an organisation. Senior leaders who had sent a letter to Sonia Gandhi had sought support from 100 people, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the letter could not get that many signatures. So the letter was sent to Sonia Gandhi with the signature of 23 leaders.

Three main persons who had signed that letter have quit the party. I was not a representative of G-23 and I do not intend to be one either. But I supported their thinking and one of their thoughts was that polls should be held in the party. Now I am contesting for the party chief’s post, and I also feel that elections should be held for the working committee as well.

However, those who had said that polls should be held in the party are now saying that there should be a general consensus and elections should not be held. I fail to understand how their mind changed. But I am contesting the elections. Whatever I had written in the letter, I still stand by that.

Are you disappointed that the G23 leaders didn’t back you? Or by the way the senior leadership took you into confidence and the then suggested Khadge’s name?

People are free to make their choice and express their views. I am not disappointed because we are all in one party, we are friends and colleagues. If the G23 leaders felt differently, it is their take.

Any chance of you withdrawing the nomination?

How can I withdraw the nomination when 60 members have signed it and given me the chance? How can I betray the faith they have posed on me? I will fight the elections and become their voice, though my signature list does not have big names as Kharge’s. I cannot withdraw my nomination as Congress workers are with me.

How you are building your support base?

In the coming 15 days, I will go to 12 cities and seek support from the party workers. I will reach out to the people, hold public meetings and meet people in person. I will reach out to the people via different mediums and seek their support.

But since I do not have the phone numbers of 90 per cent delegates mentioned in the list provided to me, reaching out to them is not going to be easy.

What is your take on the sequence of events in Rajasthan?

Whatever happened in Rajasthan is really sad. But I can’t give any reaction as I did not attend any of the meetings. I am not in the know of the things as to what exactly transpired there.

You are seeking vote for ‘change’ in the Congress. Do you think that if Kharge is elected the President, he will work as a puppet and the party will continue to function in the same manner?

Of course not, I am not against anyone. See, we are not fighting a war. We are all colleagues who have always worked together. In the future also, we will work together. If I become the party President, will Khargeji not work for the betterment of the party? If you ask anyone about senior Congress leaders outside the Gandhi family, every list will have Kahrgeji’s name.

ALSO READ: Tharoor wants to bring ‘change’ in the Grand Old Party

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Double standards: Tharoor slams new UK travel rules

Tharoor said on Monday said he had pulled out of debate and out of launch events for the UK edition of his book…reports Asian Lite News.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday slammed new British travel rules which put those vaccinated with Covishield in the “unvaccinated” category and said that “double standards” applied by the UK were “impossible to understand”.

The Congress MP, who recently cancelled his UK trip, said he personally does not have time to go to a country and sit in quarantine for ten days.

“Double standards applied by the UK are impossible to understand. I personally don’t have time to go to a country and sit in quarantine for 10 days. So I’ve cancelled my trip,” he said.

“It’s time we all stood up and said to the British – ‘Get your act together’. Either you ask the Serum Institute of India (SII) to make those vaccines and ship them to Britain or you say you don’t accept the vaccines. You can’t have it both ways,” he added.

Tharoor said on Monday said he had pulled out of debate and out of launch events for the UK edition of his book.

“Because of this I have pulled out of a debate at the @cambridgeunion & out of launch events for the UK edition of my book #TheBattleOfBelonging (published there as #TheStruggleForIndiasSoul). It is offensive to ask fully vaccinated Indians to quarantine. The Brits are reviewing!” Congress MP had said in response to a tweet. (ANI)

ALSO READ-India warns UK of reciprocal action over new travel rules