• Source:JND
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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is once again facing criticism from his party colleagues. This time for attending the banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in honour of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday night. Several Congress leaders criticised Tharoor, saying Leaders of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have not been invited to the banquet, but an MP on their side was asked to join the dinner. Speaking to NDTV, Tharoor expressed his opinion, saying he did his duty for the people of his constituency.

On being asked, would he make a huge move sometime (Quitting), Tharoor made a measured and cryptic reply, saying why this has to be asked. He asserted that he was elected as an MP after undergoing great trouble. "I went to great trouble to get elected. It would take a considerable amount of thought and various other considerations to be anything else," he told NDTV.

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Congress Takes Swipe At Tharoor

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "There has been speculation whether the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha have been invited for tonight's official dinner in honour of President Putin. The two LoPs have not been invited."

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Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera accused the government of breaking protocols daily and not believing in democratic principles.

"There is no invite to both the LoPs, Mr (Mallikarjun) Kharge and Mr (Rahul) Gandhi. This comes as a surprise but I don't think we should be surprised. This government is known to be breaching all protocols. What else to say, ask the government," he said on the sidelines of an event.

Asked about party MP Tharoor getting invited to the banquet and accepting the invitation, Khera said, "Ask Mr. Tharoor. All of us who are in the party, if our leaders don't get invited and we get invited, we need to question our own conscience and listen to our conscience. Politics has been played in inviting or not inviting people, which in itself is questionable and those who accept such an invite is also questionable," Khera said.

(With PTI inputs)

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