Action against Shashi Tharoor reflects intolerance: BJP

NEW DELHI: BJP today took a dig at Congress for removing Shashi Tharoor as spokesperson, saying the step reflects "intolerance" as the party cannot digest somebody doing good work.

"It is their internal matter. But certainly, it shows the level of tolerance or intolerance in the Congress," BJP secretary Siddharth Nath Singh said after action was taken against Tharoor for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Singh noted that Tharoor had been selected by Modi as one of the nine prominent people for pushing the "apolitical" 'Swachh Bharat' campaign which was an unfulfilled dream of Mahatma Gandhi.

The action against Tharoor shows that Congress will "sack even those who do good work. There is no regard for good work in Congress," the BJP leader said.

"The Congress still follows the policy that if you go with Modi to clean India, we would certainly clean you up Mr Tharoor," Singh said.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee had prepared a report against Tharoor, which was referred to AICC's disciplinary action committee a few days ago.

The report of the Kerala unit had held that Tharoor's adulatory statements about Modi had hurt Congress workers in Kerala, who had worked sincerely and tirelessly for his victory from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat.

The complaint by the Kerala Congress Committee had come at a time when Tharoor had accepted the invite by the Prime Minister to be a brand ambassador of "Swachch Bharat" mission of the NDA government.