Shashi Tharoor said he wasn’t invited to campaign in Bihar and stressed the need for Congress to examine reasons behind its poor performance.
He noted factors like public mood, organisation and messaging must be analysed by those who handled the campaign.
MM Hassan slammed Tharoor for criticising dynasty politics, accusing him of echoing BJP rhetoric while benefiting from the party leadership.
Tharoor Says He Was Not Invited to Bihar Campaign, Calls for Congress to Review Poll Defeat
The Thiruvananthapuram MP urges a full assessment of the party’s performance as senior leader MM Hassan attacks him over his critique of dynasty politics.
Summary
Shashi Tharoor, Congress leader and MP for Thiruvananthapuram, stated on Friday that he was not invited to campaign in Bihar and that the Congress would look into the reasons for its defeat in the state.
Following the results of the Bihar election, Tharoor told reporters that it is the party's duty to investigate thoroughly the reasons for the defeat.
“Remember, we were not the senior partner in the alliance, and the RJD also has to look carefully at its own performance,” he said.
According to him, in a mandate like Bihar’s, it is important to examine the totality of the party’s performance.
He noted that elections are about several factors.
“There is, of course, the popular mood. There are questions about the organisation’s strengths and weaknesses. There is a question of messaging. These are issues that will have to be looked at,” he said.
Tharoor said the results would be analysed thoroughly. “I was not there, and I was not invited to campaign in Bihar. So I can’t say much from personal experience. Those who were there will certainly study the outcome,” he added.
Senior Congress official MM Hassan, however, harshly criticised Tharoor for his recent article criticising the party's Dynasty politics.
In a different incident, senior Congress leader M M Hassan attacked Tharoor, claiming that the MP entered politics with the Nehru family's help and attained all of his positions and notoriety as a result.
“I have also voted for Tharoor. He has not shed a drop of sweat for society or the country,” Hassan said.
He said that while Tharoor could criticise the Nehru family,but not as a member of the Congress Working Committee.
Hassan accused Tharoor of using the same “family politics” arguments employed by the BJP to target Rahul Gandhi.
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“Before doing that, he should respectfully step away from the Congress Working Committee,” he said.
In a recent article for international media organisation Project Syndicate, the Thiruvananthapuram MP pointed out that Tharoor said dynastic politics across the political spectrum poses a "grave threat" to Indian democracy and asserted that it is high time India traded "dynasty for meritocracy".
With PTI input.
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