New Delhi, June 19 (IANS). Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, in an exclusive conversation with IANS, expressed his opinion on the split in Trinamool Congress. Tharoor said that to be honest, I don’t think anyone doubts that there might have been some greed, some benefits or some threats involved in this. This can happen only from the ruling party because they have the power.
Referring to the decision of rebel MPs to support NDA, he said that Indian politics has now become a politics without principles.
He said, “As you know, the biggest group that seceded, i.e. 20 MPs of Trinamool Congress, have openly said that they will now join the NDA. These are the same MPs who have been attacking the NDA for the last 12 years. So suddenly seeing these qualities in them shows that the politics of our country has become a politics without principles and this is quite sad.”
Shortly after Trinamool Congress suffered a major setback in the West Bengal Assembly elections and won only 80 seats, there was a split in the party. First, 58 MLAs rebelled. These MLAs refused to accept Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of the opposition in the assembly.
Shortly after this, problems started in Parliament also. While three Rajya Sabha MPs resigned, 20 Lok Sabha MPs decided to join the Nationalist Citizens Party and support the NDA. Tharoor said that it is fine to have one’s views or principles, but the main objective should be to work in the interest of the country.
The Congress leader said that they should stick to their thinking and work together constructively. I have always said that the people on the other side are not your enemies. They are your opponents and your job is to work for the collective interest of the country.
He further said that you think that your way is better than their way and politics should be like this. But, of course, to be in politics you must have a vision of what is best for India, to create a better India and a better society. This is the logic of being in politics.
–IANS
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