Congress MP Shashi Tharoor Archives - Lokmarg

Tharoor Accuses Left Of Dividing Vote In Thiruvananthapuram

By LokMarg 19th March 2024

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)

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Tharoor Fires Fresh Salvo At Scindia Amid Flight Chaos

By LokMarg 18th January 2024

Amid a war of words over the chaotic scenes at the Delhi airport over bulk flight delays and cancellations due to the prevailing fog, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor fired a fresh salvo at Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, claiming that he has adopted the ‘uncaring attitude’ of the ‘Modi government’ since changing his political stripes.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport plunged into chaos on Monday, as dense fog disrupted flight operations, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded for hours.

Taking to his official handle on social media platform X, Tharoor, while acknowledging the strides in the aviation sector, posted, “My dear JM_Scindia, it’s a pity that since switching sides you have adopted the Modi Government’s uncaring attitude to the public. As Rahul Gandhi said during the #BharatJodoNyayYatra, it’s clear the suffering of the people is not the suffering of this Government. Crores worth of economic value lost, lakhs of lives disrupted, and thousands of people unable to go about their daily lives during this festive season–and all the Minister can do is to engage in name-calling.”

“I am not denying that there has been some growth. Nor am I blaming the government for the weather. I am pointing out that there are several evident shortcomings in the Govt’s planning & its failure to take proactive action on problems that could easily have been anticipated,” the Thiruvananthapuram MP added.

Advising the Civil Aviation Minister to shift his focus “from my arm-chair and my diligent researchers to the agony of the passengers”, Tharoor added, “Perhaps, then he would find time to fix the myriad in competencies, absolute lack of preparation, and the glaring loopholes in his Ministry’s functioning.”

In another post on X, Tharoor said the claims made by the Union Minister on the country’s aviation sector were ‘completely misdirected’ and an ‘obfuscation’.

“This is complete misdirection and obfuscation. In 2014, India had 6-7 major airlines, none of which had even 1/3rd market share. Today, there are just two companies with over 90% of the market. Further, under the BJP government, thousands of crores have been wasted on the failed UDAN scheme. After 7 years, out of 493 subsidised routes, only 225 (about 47%) are still surviving. This is not even considering the 403 other routes that were awarded but could not even begin operations,” Tharoor posted from his X handle.

Taking a dig at the Centre, he claimed that the “doubling of the number of airports is one of your most repeated concoctions”.

“In 2014, the Airports Authority of India annual report shows that there were already 125 airports in India. In 10 years, you have been able to add just 20 airports. In comparison, from 2004 to 2014, the UPA added 35 operational airports,” Tharoor claimed.

On Wednesday, Tharoor labelled the prevailing situation as a “ModiGovt-made disaster”, alleging that it was a result of the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s “neglect and incompetence”.

Scindia countered Tharoor’s criticism, saying, “It is for someone who is lost in his esoteric world of thesaurus that data mining of selective press articles from the internet qualifies as research”.

He highlighted the crane operation’s impact, revealing it would be allowed only on non-fog days. “Runway maintenance work is a critical safety element for aviation operations, and any compromise with runway conditions directly jeopardizes passenger safety,” Scindia said.

“As a result, the maintenance was taken on top priority to be completed by December 15 before the onset of the fog season. However, due to pollution incidents, and enforcement of GRAP-IV in Delhi, the recarpeting got delayed, resulting in a delay of one month in its commissioning. The revamped RWY is getting operational this week,” he asserted.

Further responding to Tharoor’s claims on trained pilots, accusing the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA of failing to ensure airlines have trained pilots, Scidina pointed out a significant increase in CAT-II/CAT-III trained pilots over the years.

While countering his claims, Scindia said, “On sufficiently trained pilots, your claim is incorrect and baseless, as usual! As compared to only 2416 CAT II/CAT III trained pilots in 2014, today we have 6191 CAT II/CAT III trained pilots which is a jump of 2.5 times in the last 9 years.”

“Further, in preparation for the fog season of 2023-24, due to our efforts, the number of CAT II/CAT III trained pilots have grown by 16 per cent in the last three months alone from 5332 to 6191,” Scindia said.

“Regarding CAT III operations, Scindia explained the dependence on runway, aircraft, and pilot capabilities. He compared the Delhi Airport’s CAT III capability to JFK airport in the USA, emphasizing the differences in minima,” he added.

Earlier, Delhi experienced unprecedented fog, with the visibility dropping to ‘zero’ and hampering flight movement to and from the IGI airport on Monday.

Over 600 flights, including both domestic and international, were affected, according to airport officials. (ANI)

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Let individuals make reasonable choice: Tharoor Amid Participation Of Oppn Leaders At Ram Temple

By LokMarg 28th December 2023

Amid the row over the Left skipping out of the grand consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22 and doubts around the participation of other top Opposition leaders invited to the event, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said the invitees should be able to make their choice in the matter.

The senior Congress leader said the Opposition leaders should not be branded ‘anti-Hindu’ if they don’t attend the consecration of the Ram Temple and neither should they be seen to be “playing into BJP hands” if they do.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the Thiruvananthapuram MP, taking a dig at a section of the media, said, “(There are attempts at) Putting the Congress leadership in a box and saying that if you go, that means you are playing into the hands of the BJP. If you don’t go, that means you are anti-Hindu. Let the individuals make a reasonable choice,” Tharoor said on Thursday.

On whether giving the consecration of the Ram Temple a miss could hurt the prospects of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha polls next year, Tharoor said, “People are trying to make it a political issue but is that fair?”

“Going to a temple is an individual decision. Individuals have been invited, let them make their own decisions. To my mind, a temple is absolutely not a political stage, it is a place for people to contemplate the divine and do their prayers and it is a personal choice. Individuals have been invited and letting individuals decide if they wish to go is my stand,” the Congress MP added.

Claiming that he was yet to receive a formal invite to attend the Ram Temple consecration, Tharoor said, “As far as I am concerned, I have not been invited, so I don’t have to make the decision. But my own view is that I don’t think of the temple as a political stage and if it is a political event, then it is not the same as going to the temple to pray. Going to the temple to pray to my mind is a different exercise. From going to the temple to attend a huge political gathering for political speeches led by political politicians, or for those reasons, I am not terribly inclined to see the issue in those terms.”

The MP informed further that three or four members of his party have been invited to the event.

“In my mind, let individuals make their own decision, as it is a personal choice. If the party takes a collective decision, they will let us know, but right now, three or four members have been invited from the party, and they will certainly be making the decisions,” Tharoor added.

Earlier, the chairman of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Construction Committee invited former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for the consecration ceremony.

However, the attendance of senior Congress leaders has not yet been confirmed by the party.

The ceremony, scheduled for January 22, will witness the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the grand temple opening, several dignitaries from all walks of life are also expected to attend the event.

The temple trust has also invited 4,000 saints of all sects for the ceremony.

The trust has decided to enthrone the idol of Lord Ram inside the sanctum sanctorum between noon and 12.45 pm on January 22.

Lakshmi Kant Dixit, a Vedic priest, is scheduled to perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony on January 22. (ANI)

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Cong In Many Ways A Family-Run Party: Tharoor

By LokMarg 17th October 2023

Reacting to a question at an event in Thiruvananthapuram on not being a Prime Ministerial candidate from party, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday said that Rahul Gandhi could become Prime Minister since Congress is in many ways is a ‘family-run’ party.

Inaugurating the new office of a US-based Silicon Valley company at Technopark Phase 3 in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, Shashi Tharoor said that either Congress president Malikarjun Kharge or Rahul Gandhi could become PM from the Congress.

“My guess is from the Congress party either Mr Kharge who will then be the first Dalit Prime Minister of India or Rahul Gandhi since in many ways it is a ‘family-run’ party. But at the same time, the merit of the parliamentary system is the Prime Minister is the first among equals and other ministers also have great responsibility for their work so whatever responsibility is assigned to me, I am confident I can do work.”

The remark comes even as the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi made an effort to distance himself from dynastic politics when the question was posed to him at a news conference in Aizawl, Mizoram today.

“What is exactly the son of Amit Shah doing? What does Rajnath Singh’s son do? last I heard, Amit Shah’s son is running Indian cricket. Many of their (BJP) children like Anurag Thakur, are dynasties” Rahul Gandhi said in an effort to put the ball back in the BJP court.

Earlier, hitting out at both Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Congress in Telangana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 1 said that the “two family-run parties” known for corruption and commission have halted the progress of the poll-bound state.

“Both of these parties have the same formula. The party is of the family, by the family and for the family… These people are turning democracy into a family dynasty. Their party is run like a private limited company. The president, CEO, director, treasurer, general manager, chief manager, and manager all are of the same family,” the Prime Minister had said.

Meanwhile at his address to young professionals, Tharoor while explaining the system of electing representatives said that a candidate’s individual merit was not the singular reason to choose him to contest.

“Our system is very different from the American system. The parliamentary system means the party decides who to put forward in these situations. Even whom to give tickets is given by the party unlike in America where voters decide through a primaries system” said Tharoor.

“It’s not possible to have an Obama type career in India. We are a vast country, we have 543 parliamentary seats and it is not the individual merit of one person that matters,” he added. (ANI)

Tharoor Condemns Vandalism Of Indian High Commission

By LokMarg 20th March 2023

Reacting to the vandalism of the Indian High Commission in London, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday, questioned the role of British authorities and said that this “nonsense” can’t be tolerated.

Talking to ANI, Tharoor said, “It is utterly shocking that this was allowed to happen. The real problem is not inside the High Commission but on the premises outside, which is the responsibility of the local authorities, in this case, the British authorities, to protect”.
“If the British Police are completely derelict in their duty and they allow this nonsense to happen, this is a major insult that we can’t tolerate,” he added.

On Sunday, some separatist and extremist elements vandalised the Indian High Commission in London.

Reacting to this, the senior-most UK diplomat in New Delhi was summoned late Sunday evening to convey India’s strong protest to the incident.

An explanation was demanded for the complete absence of British security that allowed these elements to enter the High Commission premises. She was reminded in this regard of the basic obligations of the UK Government under the Vienna Convention.

“India finds unacceptable the indifference of the UK Government to the security of Indian diplomatic premises and personnel in the UK,” the MEA press release said.

Demanding “immediate steps” from the UK Government, the official press release from the MEA said, “It is expected that the UK Government would take immediate steps to identify, arrest and prosecute each one of those involved in today’s incident, and put in place stringent measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.” (ANI)

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