'Congress never appreciated my sincere services' Tharoor says; party claims it is not so

New Delhi, Aug 2: In yet another example showing things aren't well between Congress and its Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, the latter has written a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and complained that his sincere services to the party have "neither been seen nor appreciated".

"I am dismayed, indeed distressed, by our exchange at the morning meeting. If you have read the press leaks in today's papers, it is obvious that they were maliciously aimed at me, seeking to portray me as an isolated figure in the party," he said in the letter written the day when he was snubbed by party chief.

The provocation for the snub was the alleged leak by him of his views against the party's stalling tactics in Parliament at a strategy meet of Congress on 21 July.

Tharoor had earlier found himself in problems over his praise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a few occasions ever since he came to power last year and attracted criticism within the party for that.

He had accepted the Prime Minister's invitation to join the 'Clean India' campaign and had recently praised Modi's campaign on yoga and had also remarked that the Prime Minister leaves a positive impact on the countries he visits though he follows the UPA policies.

Alleging that those who had spoken to the media after July 21 meeting were trying to "embarrass" him and perhaps discourage him from expressing views in future meetings, Tharoor saw an "agenda" behind it.

"Yet, your comments this morning were based on the assumption that I was responsible for the leaks. Why I on earth would I have spoken to the media to undermine myself and my standing within the party?" he said in the letter.

"I hope there is no misunderstanding of either my conduct or my intentions. I served the party's interests with sincerity and to the best of my ability, while often feeling that this has neither been seen nor appreciated. The events of the last 24 hours sadly suggest that this remained the case," Tharoor said concluding it.

When asked about the letter, Tharoor said today,"I will neither confirm nor deny because even responding to such a question legitimises your line of inquiry."

Tharoor is not being "isolated" in Congress and he is part and parcel of the party, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said on Saturday.

"He (Tharoor) is not being isolated by anybody. He is part and parcel of the party... We will not accept any kind of attempt to isolate him and he is part and parcel of Congress," senior party leader Chennithala told reporters in New Delhi.

OneIndia News
(With inputs from agencies)