'Baseless reports': NRI businessman Yusuff Ali denies mediations with Shashi Tharoor on CPI(M) alliance

There were reports that Tharoor, who was upset over being neglected by AICC leader Rahul Gandhi during his recent visit to Kochi, was being wooed by the CPI(M) and a NRI businessman held talks with him in this regard in Dubai.

Thiruvananthapuram: Malayali NRI businessman Yusuff Ali has denied reports that he held talks with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on the latter's possible alliance with CPI(M).

Yusuff Ali told a section of reporters on Tuesday that he did not even meet Tharoor recently. "The reports that I held talks with Tharoor are baseless. I didn't even meet him recently. A few months back he visited my home when he came to UAE," said the Lulu group chairman and managing director.

There were reports that Tharoor, who was upset over being neglected by AICC leader Rahul Gandhi during his recent visit to Kochi, was being wooed by the CPM and a NRI businessman held talks with him in this regard in Dubai.

Tharoor also earlier maintained that those were only media speculations and there was no truth in it.

Meanwhile, Congress legislature party leader in Kerala V D Satheesan said on Tuesday that Tharoor and other Congress leaders were still in constant touch and he was still very well part of the Congress. The reports that he held talks with a businessman regarding alliance with CPM were baseless. All political leaders used to meet NRI business men while traveling abroad, he said.

Earlier CPM state secretary M V Govindan also denied reports of any talks on Tharoor's CPM alliance.

Congress camps suspect that the CPM were unleashing misleading reports with the aim of creating unrest in the Congress.