Why I support Shashi Tharoor: Kerala Youth Congress leader Sabarinadhan lists out reasons

Kochi: Youth Congress state vice president K S Sabarinadhan is among those who have openly supported Shashi Tharoor's decision to contest the Congress' presidential polls. The former Aruvikkara MLA is among those who have proposed Tharoor's name as a candidate. He signed the nomination papers even as the senior leaders in the state have expressed disapproval of Tharoor's decision to contest the internal elections.

Sabarinadhan, in a Facebook post, on Friday listed out the reasons why he extends support to Tharoor's candidature. The diplomat-turned-writer-politician's ideological commitment, communication skills and secular credentials are among the reasons cited by Sabarinadhan.

The five points cited by him are:

1. "Ideology is most important to a political party. There is no other Congress leader who can articulate the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and B R Ambedkar so well in a manner that suits the 21st Century. Tharoor's ability to communicate such a politics with the people looks a positive factor," Sabarinadhan wrote.

2. "Tharoor has been proclaiming an alternative to the communal politics put forward by Narendra Modi and BJP. He can helm the anti-BJP activism with his secular stands. I believe he can bring together different opposition parties."

3. “Any political organisation can move forward nowadays only by absorbing the social and cultural changes occuring in the world. The party can do this through Dr Tharoor, who learns all such changes and updates himself.”

4. "In his political career, Tharoor has never blamed the party. Even as many others left the party and even when he faced several personal issues, he stood within the party and made use of the freedom of opinion. He is a 100 per cent Congressman, though in a different way.".

5. “From my experience of working with Tharoor, I have felt that the latter believes in collective efforts and encourages such an approach. I'm sure that if Tharoor makes it to the president post, he will bring all leaders together and make the party work hard together.”

Sabarinadhan said the decision to hold an organisational election in Congress after a long gap is a welcome move. "The personalities of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have become brighter with their announcement that nobody from the Nehru family wants to contest. I believe the party can override its crises as the new president works along with them."

Invoking the memories of Chettur Sankaran Nair who became the Congress president in 1897, Sabarinadhan said it was a matter of pride as another Keralite is contesting the elections after 125 years. "Being an ordinary party worker, I consider it as a rare opportunity to have signed the nomination form of a Malayali," he said.

Tharoor on Friday filed his nomination for the post of Congress president at the party headquarters here.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP submitted his papers to the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry at his office at the AICC headquarters.

Amid sound of drumbeats and fanfare, he made an entry at the AICC headquarters. Polling will take place on October 17 and the result will be announced on October 19.