Tharoor plunges into sanitation drive, invokes Gandhi to silence critics

Evading a direct reply to the question whether this was part of the “Swachh Bharat” campaign, Tharoor said, “You can call it by any name but what is important is to keep the country clean. You see the local people around me. They include several Congress workers...What is important is to make the country clean, irrespective of party politics”, he said.

Justifying his action, Tharoor yesterday tweeted “Vizhinjam beach, a splendid site ruined filth and garbage; which I will clean with the help of the local residents tomorrow.”

Congress leaders in the state chose to refrain from making any adverse or positive comment on Tharoor's action.  However, in a dig at him, KPCC general secretary Ajay Tharayil said the party had decided to ignore his move.

Earlier this month, Tharoor was removed as an official spokesperson by AICC based on the complaint from the KPCC against his repeated adulatory remarks about Modi.

The KPCC report said Tharoor's adulatory comments on Modi wounded the sentiments of the Congress workers who toiled hard for his victory from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat in 2009 and 2014.

Tharoor has, however, persistently held that his praise of certain initiatives of Modi did not mean that he ever backed the BJP's “Hindutva agenda” or that he was moving closer to the saffron party.

The Prime Minister had invited Tharoor along with other prominent people from different walks of life to joint his nationwide campaign.