Shashi Tharoor’s visit to Bhavan a damp squib

CHENNAI: Congress presidential candidate Shashi Tharoor’s visit to Tamil Nadu appears to be a damp squib. His visit to the State to muster support for the Presidential election evoked abysmally low response. Less than a dozen PCC members were learned to have turned up when Tharoor visited state party headquarters Sathyamurthy Bhavan for an interaction.

A Congress senior disclosed to the DT Next on condition of anonymity that only three PCC members among the 700 and odd available in the State party unit participated in the interaction with Shashi Tharoor.

The Congress senior who identified three PCC members at the meeting said that those who took part and coordinated Tharoor’s tour were supporters of Sivagangai MP Karti P Chidambaram. Pertinently, the media wing of TNCC has completely ‘ignored’ the event, let alone not creating media attention for Tharoor’s visit. Supporters of Tharoor complained at Kamarajar memorial earlier in the afternoon that the TNCC media wing should have at least helped coordinate with the media. When asked, a TNCC leader said that they cannot engage in the media liaison. “His campaign managers or supporters should coordinate with the media. Guidelines are very clear. We should not be involved in their events till the election,” the leader added. Asked if they would abstain even while Mallikarjuna Kharge visits, the leader identified as a supporter of the Gandhis said that the TNCC will not involve or coordinate in any candidate’s visit and they would only provide space, like they did for Tharoor on Thursday.

Tharoor, the “candidate of change” has odds stacked heavily against him in the race to secure the support of the 9,000 and odd PCC members, most of whom appear to be tilting towards the Kharge, the old timer considered to have the surreptitious support of the Gandhis.