The Congress leaders are worried over the electoral fallout of Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor's alleged role in the IPL controversy.
Senior leaders, on conditions of anonymity, maintain that even if Mr. Tharoor were to survive the crisis, which has stalled Parliament proceedings, this would hardly come as a relief to the party in his home State of Kerala, where panchayat elections are round the corner.
They feared that the slogan coined by the CPI(M) that while the Congress was for the IPL, the CPI(M) stood for the BPL (below poverty line) was already having its impact and threatened to mar the party's image and stake in the panchayat elections.
Notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Tharoor met party chief Sonia Gandhi, leaders underscored that none in the party was willing to walk that extra mile for him and that the final decision on his continuation in the Council of Ministers would be taken by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after his return on Saturday from his foreign tour.
Ahead of the Prime Minister's decision on the issue, Mr. Tharoor, who made a statement in the Lok Sabha seeking to clarify his role regarding the Kochi cricket team, suffered a setback with his senior Cabinet colleague Farooq Abdullah indirectly calling for his resignation.
Keywords: Congress, Shashi Tharoor, Kochi IPL ownership
Most people seem to ignore that Cricket is one of the most popular sports not only in India but also among the overseas Indians. Given that 30% voting population are from middle class I wonder how much difference Tharoor issue would make in Kerala Panchayat elections. In fact, attack on IPL may even backfire. CPI(M) may do well in Kerala not because of Tharoor issue but because of trouble free record of Achutanandan.
Dear Shashi Tharoor,
Politics is a game. You are a great player with individual talents, but not in harmony with the teammates or the crowd. High time to learn the differnce between international and domestic behaviour.
Young India is looking forward to have people like you on board!
The Congress party will be laid low in the Kerala elections by the problem of extraordinary price rise which the government led by it has not been able to tackle. It need not therefore particularly worry about the impact of the IPL matter on its electoral prospects.
As regards the Tharoor/ Kochi IPL affair one wonders whether the expected standards of behavior is stricter for Keralites than to other citizens. The pillorying the Indian pacer Sreesanth and the Union minister,Shashi Tharoor, have been receiving in the media raises this doubt.
The Congress party is judging the case of Mr Tharoor by the political loss and gain in his home state Kerala, where panchayat elections are going to be held. The CPI[M] has already started saying that it is for BPL whereas Congress party is for IPL.So with the political angle the case of Mr Tharoor is very sensitive. That's why no Congressman is coming out to support him. However, the matter will be decided on arrival of PM.
Congress need not worry about their electroal prospects being marred by Tharoor's role in the IPL controversy. All that he did was to promote the game in Kerala. The Congress netas in Kerala were against him from the beginning as none of them come anywhere near him in stature, except Antony, whose only merit is honesty. No wonder none of them raised a little finger to extend support to him.
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