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Tag: Shashi

  • Serious attempt to undermine every institution: Shashi Tharoor

    Serious attempt to undermine every institution: Shashi Tharoor

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    Mumbai: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said right across the spectrum there is a “serious undermining” of every autonomous institution and it seems the government has only the “loyalty” criterion before appointing individuals to head them.

    In an interaction at Press Club here on ‘The need for an independent media as a vital link for democracy’, Tharoor said intimidation of the press was a legitimate issue, and if he has a voice in the party manifesto, he would certainly suggest that this should be made an issue and the party would stand for guaranteeing the freedom of press and non-interference.

    The MP from Kerala also said before the 2019 elections, he had warned that a victory for the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) would result in an attempt to create a “Hindu Pakistan”.

    MS Education Academy

    He said in the first few months after the BJP government stormed to power in 2019, he “wasn’t far off” from his prediction as the government brought legislation on triple talaq and the abolition of special provisions of Article 370.

    In many ways it was COVID-19 that saved the country as the entire legislative momentum was stalled by the urgent need to tackle the pandemic, he added.

    “Right across the spectrum, there seems to be a very serious undermining of the strength of every institution. The government seems to have only the loyalty test before it when it’s appointing people to head any autonomous institution,” Tharoor said.

    Referring to the Election Commission, he said there was a time when governments seem to respect the autonomy of autonomous institutions by appointing individuals known for their independence and integrity and cited examples of former Chief Election Commissioners TN Seshan and J M Lyndoh.

    Calling the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a Lok Sabha member worrying after his conviction last month by a Surat court in a criminal defamation case, Tharoor said many of the judiciary’s decisions are “compromised”, though not at every level.

    He also said the legislature has been reduced to either a “notice board” for the government or a “rubber stamp”.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Will caste factor keep Shashi Tharoor out of the CWC?

    Will caste factor keep Shashi Tharoor out of the CWC?

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    Thiruvananthapuram: With the now-ended 85th plenary session of the Congress in Raipur authorising party President Malikarjuna Kharge to nominate 35 members to the Congress Working Committee, the chances of former Union Minister making it to the party’s highest decision-making body seem to have dimmed.

    In the outgoing CWC, there were three members from Kerala – K.C. Venugopal, A.K.Antony, and Oommen Chandy. Out of them, the last two might not return due to their age and bad health, while Venugopal has increased his stock in the party by being the closest aide of Rahul Gandhi.

    Among those in the running include Tharoor, Ramesh Chennithala, Mullapally Ramachandran, Kodikunnil Suresh, among others.

    Questions over Tharoor came when Congress General Secretary in charge of Kerala Tariq Anwar on Tuesday opined that while there is no doubt that Tharoor has all qualities to be a member of the CWC, caste issues are also there when it comes to its constitution.

    While Venugopal, Chennithala and Tharoor all hail from the powerful Hindu Nair community, seven time Lok Sabha member Suresh hails from the Scheduled Caste community and he has already thrown in his hat in the ring.

    However, a political observer opined that it is evident that Tharoor does not have the support of all in the state unit, ever since he decided to contest for the Congress Presidentship against Kharge and those close to the Gandhi family were upset with him.

    “If what Anwar said is true, how come there were two Christians from Kerala in the outgoing CWC. So such excuses like that one has to look out for caste composition is just to keep someone out and with this statement, if Tharoor still find a place in the CWC, it should be a big surprise,” the observer said.

    Tharoor has already made it clear that he would not be keen to get into the CWC as a special invitee, and it remains to be seen if he becomes a CWC member or not.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )