Thiruvananthapuram: In Kerala, a major decision was made involving Shashi Tharoor, a prominent Congress leader. He won’t be part of a Palestine solidarity event scheduled for October 30 in the state’s capital.
Why? It’s all because of a statement he made at a rally supporting Palestine, organized by a group called the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). During the rally, Tharoor called an attack on Israel a “terrorist strike,” and this didn’t sit well with the Mahal Empowerment Mission (MEM), an organization representing Muslim groups in Thiruvananthapuram.
MEM’s president, Shajahan Sreekaryam, informed Tharoor that he’s been removed from the event. Tharoor, facing criticism on social media, clarified that he’s always been a supporter of the Palestinian people and that one part of his speech was taken out of context.
The IUML, a key ally of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, organized a big rally in northern Kozhikode to condemn the loss of civilian lives in Gaza. Tharoor was the main guest at this rally and expressed concern about civilian casualties in both Israel and Gaza. He said the conflict needs to end.
But it was Tharoor’s strong condemnation of an attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7 as an “act of terror” that led to his removal from the MEM’s Palestine event. This situation has sparked discussions about how political leaders talk about conflicts and the challenges they face in such situations.
