Shashi Tharoor had said that he needs more time to study the K-Rail project (File)
New Delhi:
Congress vs Congress has erupted again in Kerala, with the party’s state chief issuing a stern and very public warning to his own MP Shashi Tharoor.
Kerala leaders are upset that Shashi Tharoor has not signed the opposition’s petition against the Left government’s K-Rail (Kerala High-Speed Rail) project. Sources said the Congress MP had said that he needed more time to study it.
“Shashi Tharoor is the only man in the party. Every person has a right to his opinion. If he agrees with the party line, he will remain in the party. If he does not agree with the party line, he will not be in the party. That’s all. It is,” said Congress’ Kerala unit chief K Sudhakaran in a bitter tone.
“Whether it is Shashi Tharoor or K Sudhakaran, no one has given the party MPs the right to oppose the decisions of the party. A Shashi Tharoor is not a Congress,” he told reporters.
Earlier this month, Mr Tharoor had defended his decision not to put his name on the petition yet.
“There is no room for any misunderstanding. I have not given any support to this project. When such a big issue comes up, it is our responsibility to discuss it in detail. It is not about protesting, it is about protesting. It’s about asking important questions.” The Congress MP had told reporters in Parliament on December 15.
The objective of the K-Rail Silverline project is to set up a high-speed rail corridor that will connect one end of Kerala to the other and significantly cut travel time. 63,941 crore is likely to be spent on the 532 km long corridor.
Congress and activists objected to the project, saying it would cause huge damage to the ecology and cost too much. Left Front ally CP has also demanded that the detailed project report be made public.
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