Thiruvavanthpuram: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is not on the same wavelength with the KPCC on the Sabarimala issue and has decided to keep off the protests planned by it. He rather sides with party president Rahul Gandhi who personally has welcomed the Supreme Court verdict allowing the entry of young women in Sabarimala temple.
Therefore, he has told the KPCC of his decision not to attend the padayatras and vehicle rallies planned by it which will be taken out from different parts of the state and conclude at Pampa with a public rally on November 15. A Congress leader told DC that Mr Tharoor had informed the KPCC of his decision.
The political affairs committee had earlier decided to stage protests with the slogan, ‘Down with communism, victory for belief’ as demanded by KPCC working president K. Sudhakaran.
Later, Mr Rahul Gandhi supported the Supreme Court verdict creating confusion among the party leaders.
Mr K. Muraleedharan MLA too had expressed his reservations about the protests citing the different stands taken by the AICC and the KPCC.
Mr Tharoor told DC that he was taking rest owing to a chest infection. He tweeted, “For all my hyper-imaginative friends reading political motives behind my "disappearance": I am in bed w/ a bad chest infection, on antibiotics, & have been advised a few days' complete rest. Have cancelled all functions for 3 days & am not taking calls. Pls don't listen to rumours.”
Though Mr Tharoor had favoured women’s entry in Sabarimala calling himself as an ‘instinctive liberal,’ he wanted that Sabarimala traditions should be kept intact and that the rituals should change as per the times.
