Thiruvananthapuram | Hours after he praised MP Shashi Tharoor and said it would be difficult to defeat the Congress leader from the state capital in the near future, veteran BJP leader O Rajagopal clarified that his words were misinterpreted and claimed the saffron party will win from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in the Lok Sabha polls.
Rajagopal, former union minister who lost to Tharoor in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Thiruvananthapuram, had at a function here on Monday evening said the Congress MP's ability to sway people's minds was the reason for his repeated wins from the constituency.
"That is why he is able to win again and again from Thiruvananthapuram. I doubt that anyone else will get an opportunity to win (from Thiruvananthapuram) in the near future," he had said while speaking at the N Ramachandran Foundation award ceremony.
Tharoor had touched Rajagopal's feet and hugged him after his speech.
However, hours later, in a late night Facebook post, the veteran BJP leader said that his comments were in the context of Tharoor having won more than once from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.
Rajagopal, the first-ever BJP MLA from the state after his win in the 2016 Assembly polls, said in the changed political scenario coupled with the efficiency of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, there was a possibility of the saffron party winning in the state capital, if the party activists and members work hard.
He also said that at present, Tharoor's presence in the Lok Sabha constituency was only nominal and that would adversely affect his prospects.
The veteran BJP leader said that what he said in his speech was a figurative expression of opinion and his personal and political stand was that "the BJP would win from Thiruvananthapuram this time" (upcoming Lok Sabha polls).
Reacting to the clarification by Rajagopal, Tharoor on Tuesday said it was probably made on the direction of the BJP.
He further said that he only viewed Rajagopal's statements made a day ago as a decent act.
"Those who were there or saw the video of his speech heard what he said, saw how he said it and in what manner. At the end of the day, it is the people, the voters who decide who should win.
"Nobody will win based on what O Rajagopal, the BJP or the Congress say," Tharoor told reporters in Malayalam here.
He further said that the people of Thiruvananthapuram trusted him thrice and if his party fields from here again, he will reach out to the public once more seeking their support.
On being told by reporters that LDF convener E P Jayarajan termed Rajagopal's speech and Tharoor's subsequent conduct towards the veteran politician as an indication of a BJP-Congress unity, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram called it "meaningless statements".
Tharoor said that the Congress was the only party which was opposing the BJP across the country.
He also said that he himself always spoke out against the saffron party.
"However, if they (the LDF) were still concerned, then why are they a part of the INDIA alliance along with us? So, it is a meaningless statement made by him without any thought or application of mind," the Congress MP said.
Earlier in the day, Jayarajan said Rajagopal's remarks praising Tharoor "indicate the beginning of a BJP-Congress unity in the state."
Jayarajan said the veteran BJP leader's speech at the event indicates that his party probably has no intention of competing against Tharoor or fielding a candidate from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency.
"His (Rajagopal) statement has created anxiety in the people. His remarks praising Tharoor is a political problem. He made a statement announcing the victory of Shashi Tharoor even before the Lok Sabha polls began.
"This indicates the beginning of a BJP-Congress unity in Kerala," the LDF convener told media in Kannur.
Rajagopal's remarks on Monday came at a time when the BJP is attempting to win at least a few key seats in Kerala, including Thiruvananthapuram, in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
