Thiruvananthapuram | Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said that there was no point in voting for the BJP in the April 9 Assembly polls in Kerala as they have no chance of coming to power and it would be a "waste of votes" to cast the ballot in favour of the saffron party.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference here, Tharoor said that the responsible thing to do was to vote for the Congress-led UDF as it can provide a change of government, has experience, years of service and a track record both at the Centre and in the states.
Assuring that the Congress would give good governance, he urged voters not to waste their votes on "an untested party which has very little by way of roots in this state".
"With all respect to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, they are not going to rule in Kerala and their party does not have the credibility to utilise their appeal to get very many seats. Frankly, they are a zero-seat party right now in the Assembly.
"If at all they can get one or two or three, it will be a miracle for them. And therefore, they are not a factor in government formation," he asserted.
The Congress Working Committee member said he was confident that the people want change and the majority of them will vote for the UDF.
He also rejected BJP claims that the UDF and LDF were in the same team, saying that both fronts interests were "fundamentally opposed".
"The LDF is sitting in the government. They want to stay in the government. We have been sitting in the opposition. We want to replace them in the government. These are incompatible fundamental objectives.
"It is inconceivable that a party that desires to replace the LDF in government would in any way have any interest in colluding with them," he said.
He also contended that the BJP's claim also lacks logic because the saffron party "was not such a threat" that the two fronts should need to collude.
While conceding that the Congress was allied with the CPI(M) in some parts of the country, Tharoor said that it was the UDF opposition which raised a strong voice against the LDF government during the last 10 years.
"..there is no reason for us in Kerala to give them any quarter. Yes, in other states, the realities are different. Frankly, in Tamil Nadu, neither CPI(M) nor Congress looks ready at the moment to come to power on their own.
"So we have both joined up with a like-minded major party and we are likely to win in Tamil Nadu. The situation may be different in other states. We are not together with them in West Bengal, for example," he said.
"The truth is that when you get to the national level, state issues recede in prominence," he added.
He said that if the two parties see eye-to-eye on issues like secularism, on people's rights, defending institutions whose integrity is being hollowed out, then "we will certainly ally in Delhi with each other against the central government".
"But in Kerala, the issues are different. Those are not the issues. We can both profess secularism, but disagree on how to actually create a better life for our people," the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.
He was of the view that it was "the BJP and CPI(M) which have an understanding" as they do not want Congress to win in Kerala.
Tharoor said that the CPI(M) was against the Congress in order to retain power and the BJP wants the grand old party to lose as otherwise, it would get more energy to oppose the saffron party at the Centre and across the country.
He said that the understanding between them was evident from the fielding of certain candidates. "Our deal is with the people to give them good governance," he added.
Thiruvananthapuram | Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said that the proposed FCRA amendment bill was "dangerous" and the timing of bringing in the middle of the Kerala Assembly polls was "ridiculous" as the BJP was trying to reach out to the Christian community.
Terming the bill as "dangerous" and the provisions as "bizarre", Tharoor said it allows the Centre to confiscate anything built by an entity using foreign funds if the central government decides not to renew its FCRA license or delay the renewal or even cancel it.
"Which means that they can take over your churches, your schools, your hospitals, your orphanages. Now that is a complete violation of natural justice. How on earth can the government, which has not contributed to any of these—either their construction or their operation—assume the right to take over these institutions, dispose of them, keep the proceeds and so on. That to my mind is utterly bizarre," he said.
He said that the Centre can regulate and supervise somebody's right to receive foreign funds, but it cannot confiscate assets which are not its own.
"That is called expropriation in law, and that is completely illegal. So to make it legal by passing a law like this is frankly unacceptable," Tharoor, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, said.
He said that non-renewal of the license under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) means that in future that entity or group cannot receive funds from abroad.
"It does not give any government the right to retrospectively seize properties that have actually been built and run without any government involvement for the welfare of society," he said.
The Congress Working Committee member said that the implications of such a bill were "truly grave for the country and for the rights of minorities" that have built institutions to perform social service.
He said that many people, including him, have been beneficiaries of the social service provided by the church and organisations run by them.
"There are orphanages which have catered to non-Christian children. There are hospitals which have catered to patients of every community. I think it's absolutely unacceptable that such institutions and hospitals and schools should be taken over by a government for no other reason than they decided not to renew a license," he asserted.
Tharoor said that he was glad that the central government has seen the wisdom of holding back the amendments for now.
Pointing out that the Centre has not withdrawn the bill, he said that the central government has the right, in theory, to reintroduce it again when the elections in Kerala are over.
"We hope they won't do it. We hope that at the very least they will send it to a select committee or a standing committee to study it in detail," he said.
The FCRA Amendment Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, seeks to enhance transparency and ensure proper utilisation of foreign funds, while preventing their misuse against national security and interests.
