Pro-Modi stand turns costly: Congress sacks Shashi Tharoor from AICC spokesperson post

NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday removed Shashi Tharoor as AICC spokesperson after the party’s disciplinary action committee recommended it. The Kerala PCC leadership had demanded “appropriate action” against the Lok Sabha MP for his “pro-Modi stands”, including unilaterally accepting the PM’s invitation to be a brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat campaign.

Tharoor, who described himself as “a loyal workers of the Congress party”, accepted his party leader’s decision and said he was treating the issue as closed, making it clear he had no plans to rebel. By acting against Tharoor, the Congress, apart from satisfying its Kerala unit, has also advertised it will have zero tolerance against partymen who unilaterally take decisions on sensitive matters involving the Modi government.

“Congress president Sonia Gandhi has accepted the recommendation of the AICC disciplinary committee to remove Shashi Tharoor from the list of spokespersons with immediate effect. The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee had submitted a complaint in this regard to the disciplinary committee,” Congress general secretary (Organisation) Janardan Dwivedi said in a press release. This is the second time Tharoor has faced rough weather in his 10-year stint in Congress. In 2009, he was forced to quit in the wake of the IPL scam.

Though Tharoor subtly lamented he was not given an opportunity to explain his conduct, sources said since the evidences of his statements and tweets that provoked the PCC were available for scrutiny, the committee felt no need to seek further clarification. Tharoor too accepted the leadership’s prerogative. The spokesperson rejected the BJP claim and asserted that action against him has nothing to do with the probe into his wife’s death.