The All India Congress Committee (AICC) appeared to put a lid on the controversy surrounding party MP, Shashi Tharoor’s Malabar tour even though some of the State leaders continued to air their views on the issue.
AICC General Secretary Tariq Anwar, who was here on Thursday, said that any Congress leader, any MP, was free to go anywhere, but local units should be kept in the loop. He pointed out that party norms should be maintained. “While visiting blocks or districts, they should take the block, district Congress committee (DCC), or pradesh Congress committee into confidence. This is our style of working,” Mr. Anwar told the media after a foundation stone laying ceremony for the new building of the Kozhikode DCC. Earlier on Friday night, he had said that there was no need of any controversy over Mr. Tharoor’s visit.
Mr. Anwar said that he had not received the complaint by M.K. Raghavan, Kozhikode MP, which sought an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the Kozhikode district unit of the Youth Congress backtracking from an event attended by Mr. Tharoor. It was Mr. Raghavan, who organised Mr. Tharoor’s events in Kozhikode, Kannur and Malappuram districts.
The foundation stone-laying event was attended by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran, former Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, K. Muraleedharan, MP, and Mr. Raghavan, among others. Though both Mr. Anwar and Mr. Sudhakaran stayed at the same private hotel, the AICC leader said he had not had any communication with the latter about the controversy.
Though the Central leadership wants those supporting Mr. Tharoor and others who have objected to his tour to iron out their differences, the leaders continued to issue statements. Mr. Raghavan said during the event that the term discipline should be clearly defined. “We are bound by the diktat of the KPCC president. But there should be no partisanship while defining the term discipline,” he pointed out. He was indirectly referring to the reported attempts by some in the party to term Mr. Tharoor’s tour as indiscipline.
Mr. Chennithala told the media earlier in the day that there was no ban on anyone attending party events and the party should stand united, while Mr. Muraleedharan claimed Mr. Anwar’s visit had nothing to do with the controversy.
