The controversy surrounding Congress MP Shashi Tharoor “feeling honoured” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to take part in “Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan” seems far from over as Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice-president M M Hassan on Monday told Tharoor to stop lauding Modi’s initiatives.
“Tharoor couldn’t muster a response even on the lines of what actor Kamal Hassan did to the invitation. As a first, we would like him to stop praising Modi,” M M Hassan told reporters here. Kamal Hassan, one of the nine people invited to join the initiative, had thanked the prime minister for the invitation but maintained that he, along with fans, was involved in cleanliness drives for the past two decades.
KPCC general secretary M Liju said Tharoor should not have endorsed “gimmicky” programmes launched by Modi. “Behind the clean India campaign, there’s a political agenda. Tharoor should understand that. He’s not a child,” Liju said.
“The party will form a consensus on the follow-up action with regard to Tharoor’s stand. The Congress can never accept policies followed by the BJP and the RSS,” Chennithala said.
Tharoor, meanwhile, responded strongly to the criticism on social media. The former minister said he was “astonished” at suggestions that he was being pro-BJP and cited his published writings to validate his “profound belief” in India’s pluralism.
“The PM pitched his appeal as a non-political one and I received it in that spirit. I am a proud Congressman and a proud Indian. In short: not pro-BJP, just pro-India!” Tharoor said on his Facebook page.
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