Shashi Tharoor is welcome to join BJP: Padmaja

PADMAJA Venugopal, the daughter of legendary four-time Congress Chief Minister K. Karunakaran, said on Thursday that Shashi Tharoor is welcome to join the BJP.

“There is no need to call him, as he knows how he is being treated in the Congress party. He is welcome to join the BJP. I used to see him during party meetings when in the Congress and I used to ask him, why is he not present for many meetings? He used to say he does not get the invite and hence doesn’t know of the meetings,” said Padmaja.

“I have always felt and seen how Tharoor was sidelined by the party. Everything I said when I left Congress has just been repeated by Tharoor in the past few days. There is no future for him in the Congress party. I decided to leave the Congress party not for any posts or positions, but for peace of mind, which I now have. Nothing is going to happen in the state Congress leaders meeting in Delhi (Tharoor also invited) called by the high command,” added Padmaja.

Of late, Tharoor has come under fire from top state party leaders after his article in an English daily that praised Modi and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

However, Shashi Tharoor has already made his position clear that he will not join the BJP. He was summoned by Rahul Gandhi last week and the two had a closed-door meeting.

Speculations on Thursday surfaced that Tharoor might be given the post of the Deputy Leader of the Lok Sabha.

Padmaja left the Congress party after former Defence Minister A.K. Antony’s son Anil Antony joined the Congress party. While Anil was given the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat to contest, Padmaja failed to get one.