New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday, responded to the challenge posed by Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar for a debate on the development of Thiruvananthapuram. Tharoor, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), acceptance the debate and also accused Chandrasekhar of avoiding such discussions till now.
“Yes, I welcome a debate. But the people of Thiruvananthapuram are aware of who has been evading a debate till now. Let us debate politics and development. Let us debate price hike, unemployment, corruption, communalism and the BJP’s 10 years of propagating politics of hatred,” Tharoor wrote on X.
Earlier, Chandrasekhar accused Tharoor of spreading misinformation. Chandrasekhar pointed to a recent interview conducted by a Kerala-based news organization where Tharoor allegedly falsely accused Chandrasekhar of offering money to religious leaders and key voters in the constituency.
“We have been debating in multiple forums during the last two weeks, and people have seen you struggle for answers to my questions on these occasions. Forced into a defensive mode, you chose to disseminate falsehoods that not only defamed me but also besmirched numerous social and religious organizations within my constituency. Therefore, to start with, you need to answer the following questions I have posed to you,” Chandrasekhar wrote on X.
A letter was also sent to the Election Commission of India, the Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala, and Adeela Abdullah, the Additional Chief Electoral Officer & Additional Secretary Nodal Officer of Model Code of Conduct, Kerala. The letter, sent on Monday, alleges that Tharoor violated the Model Code of Conduct by disseminating falsehoods and misinformation regarding Chandrasekhar.
Thiruvananthapuram will go to the polls on April 26 during the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections. This constituency in Kerala is being closely watched due to a high-profile contest between Congress’ Shashi Tharoor and the BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
