CPI's 'look in the mirror' retort to Shashi Tharoor's 'alliance dharma' comment

CPI’s ‘look in the mirror’ retort to Shashi Tharoor’s ‘alliance dharma’ comment

The Communist Party of India (CPI) has hit out at Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for his “alliance dharma” remark, saying that the Thiruvananthapuram MP should “look into the mirror” first.

On Tuesday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor hit out at the CPI for fielding its candidate from Thiruvananthapuram and questioned their “alliance dharma”.

“It’s ironic that the same CPI that complains about Rahul Gandhi’s candidature in Wayanad is playing the BJP’s game in Thiruvananthapuram. 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,” Tharoor said in a post on X.

Shashi Tharoor, who has been representing Thiruvananthapuram for the past 15 years in the Lok Sabha, is eyeing a record fourth term.

He is facing BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI’s Pannian Raveendran the Lok Sabha seat this time.

Responding to Tharoor’s charge, CPI General Secretary D Raja questioned the Congress leader’s knowledge of Kerala’s history.

“I do not know what is the understanding of Mr Tharoor as far as coalition and politics are concerned. He must understand that Kerala is one state where the political situation is entirely different in comparison to other states where the main battle is between LDF and UDF. Mr Tharoor must look at his face in the mirror that who are these people living congress party and joining BJP,” D Raja told India Today TV.

The Congress and the Left parties are a part of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc at the national level. However, both groups are having a go at each other in the southern state of Kerala.

While Raja said that everything was well in the INDIA bloc, there could be some issues with seat-sharing in certain states.Â

“It is going on forever and in fact, Mr Shashi Tharoor should understand the history of Kerala,” he said.

D Raja said that the Left is in power in Kerala and is a “power to reckon with”.Â

“The CPI will continue to fight. The LDF will continue to fight as there are only 20 seats, of which CPI got four,” the CPI leader said.

On Tharoor’s jibe on “alliance dharma”, D Raja questioned the intention of the Congress and asked if Rahul Gandhi was campaigning against the BJP and RSS on other seats, why was he contesting against an LDF candidate from Wayanad.

D Raja’s wife and CPI leader Annie Raja is the party’s candidate from Wayanad against Rahul Gandhi.