Kochi: Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan on Sunday said he was being portrayed as the villain in the latest controversy in the Congress’ Kerala unit which has Shashi Tharoor MP at its centre.
Satheesan’s made the remarks as he addressed ‘Decode’, a state conclave organised by the Kerala unit of the All India Professionals Congress (AIPC) here. Tharoor, who heads the organisation at the national level, had addressed the gathering in the morning.
“Every story requires a villain. When we make a story we need a villain. Then only it will look like a usual story. One can’t always be the hero. This time the fate of being the villain had fallen on me. What can I do. My job is something else. I will go ahead with it,” Satheesan told the gathering of professionals affiliated with the opposition party. He said social media was claiming that he was envious of Tharoor and that it was true. When someone on the dais pointed out that media might report that Satheesan was jealous of Tharoor, the opposition leader said, “let it be.” “Don’t we get jealous when we see some people? I’m jealous of this Dr Lal who is sitting next to me whenever I listen to him explaining certain matters with ease. We learn from people who know,” he said. Dr Lal, a healthcare expert who worked with the World Health Organisation is the state president of AIPC.
It was evident from his tone that he had come prepared to target the media over the coverage of the perceived troubles within his party triggered by Tharoor’s recent political tour of the Malabar region. Satheesan turned to the subject after giving a detailed talk on the areas where AIPC had to focus. “The media who have come here will not report all what I said. They have come to know what I talk about Tharoor,” he said. He said the media reports that he did not speak to Tharoor as both of them attended a function in Thiruvananthapuram was baseless. “Denying the rift or problems with Tharoor, the LoP said he "loves and respects" the MP, so there was no question of not talking to him.
"After the Congress presidential election, I invited him to an event in Kochi that was organised by a group of which I am also a forerunner. But, he was unable to come due to his Parliamentary duties. I had invited him to the event. So, why would anyone question whether I would speak to him or not? I talk to even people whom I do not like, but I love and respect him," Satheesan said.
Congress MP Hibi Eden, who was one of the speakers at the event, said the party "should unleash the full potential of Shashi Tharoor in many different aspects" as he upholds the values of the Indian National Congress and the country needs him.
Earlier in the day, Tharoor said he was not upset or angry with anyone in the Kerala unit of the party and has no reservations in speaking to anyone as "we are not in kindergarten to refrain from talking to each other."
Speaking to reporters in the port city of Kochi, where he came to attend the conclave, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said he has not spoken against anyone in the party or acted against its directives and has no clue why such a controversy has been created.
"I am not upset or angry with anyone. I have not blamed or accused anyone. There are no complaints or issues from my end. I have no problem seeing everyone as one and neither do I have any reservations about speaking to anyone," he said before the event.
Satheesan, without naming Tharoor, recently said any kind of sectarianism or parallel activities would not be allowed in the party and warned that such moves would be 'seriously' dealt with.
It was one of several remarks made by Satheesan in the wake of Tharoor's Malabar tour which seems to have rattled a significant section in Congress in the State with a few of them sensing an "agenda" behind his move.
In the wake of the brewing controversy over his recent tour, the disciplinary panel of KPCC on Saturday issued a strict directive to its leaders not to bypass the respective party fora while attending programmes in each place and directed the leaders to intimate them in advance.
When this was pointed out to the Thiruvananthapuram MP by reporters on Sunday, he said the District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents are always informed whenever he attends any public event.
However, if it was a private event, there was no need to inform DCC presidents about the same, he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
