Kerala Cong leaders turn jittery as Shashi Tharoor's popularity grows

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 10 Shashi Tharoor's popularity cuts across all classes of people in Kerala as he is the most sought after person, even in social groups. This phenomenon does not go down well with a majority of the top brass in the state Congress; the trend is now to 'call Tharoor to save Congress'.

Ever since he returned from Delhi after loosing to Malikarjuna Kharge, while many of his adversaries in the party expected Tharoor will beat a hasty retreat, they were wrong, as in Kerala, his stock went up significantly.

What came as a rude jolt was when the powerful head of the Nair Service Society- Sukumaran Nair batted strongly for Tharoor and if that was not enough, the supreme head of the Orthodox Church, whom he called on the other day, also gave thumps up, and Tharoor stated that he will be concentrating more in Kerala.

And he has his next stop to speak at Asia's largest Christian convention next month to be held at Maramon in Pathanamthitta district which is organised by the influential Syrian Mar Thoma Church.

A media critic on condition of anonymity said that there has been a change in the way politics is now being viewed by the people here.

"That's the reason why Tharoor's stock has been increasing as people have realised that he has got the stuff unlike the run-of-the-mill politic which no longer sells. Tharoor, who has seen it all, has decided to work on that and that's why you see huge crowds wherever he goes, while the traditional Congress leaders barring exceptions like Oommen Chandy, none others are able to draw the people," said the critic.

If Tharoor's stock has gone up, Congress leaders like leader of opposition V.D.Satheesan, his predecessor Ramesh Chennithala, state president K.Sudhakaran are feeling the heat that they have started to sense that Tharoor's gain will be their loss and if they do not play their cards well, things could go wary.

Many of those who came calling on Chandy at his residence after he returned from his treatment for throat cancer was seen telling him that he should now throw his weight behind Tharoor, as other leaders fail to evoke response from people.

Incidentally, Chandy was behind fielding Tharoor to oppose Kharge as Chandy, who successfully took on his arch rival in the party K.Karunakaran, felt that should be the launching pad for Tharoor into state politics and it now appears to have come correct.