Tharoor fighting slur before poll

Tharoor, however, has become the favourite whipping boy for the Left parties in Kerala. While branding him pro-Israel, the Left is trying to use the Zionist factor to consolidate the minority votes

Rajeev Ramachandran Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram constituency in Kerala is unique in a way. At a time when the Lok Sabha election is being fought on local issues in most of the country, here foreign policy matters are being hotly debated.

The credit for this goes to the Congress candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, former UN under-secretary-general. Tharoor, who wears many hats, has been virtually air-dropped to Thiruvananthapuram by the Congress and pitted against local veterans. He will fight P Ramachandran Nair of the CPI, a local leader who replaced Pannian Raveendran, and also former state minister Dr Neela Lohita Das, contesting as a BSP candidate this time.

And, Tharoor has to contend with close scrutiny. His residential status, diplomatic credentials, membership in the advisory committee of Coca-Cola foundation and his writings, especially the article comparing India and Israel published in the Israeli daily Haaretz - all this has been put under the scanner. The media is awash with allegations and counter allegations on this high profile candidate.

Debate on international politics in the poll season is not a new phenomenon in Kerala. But, this is possibly the first time that a candidate's political views on international issues are being tested to an extent that he has been labeled a Zionist agent by opponents. Hardnews learnt that some Muslim organisations are even planning to withdraw their support. Tharoor has been under severe attack from the Left parties and minority organisations for his perceived pro-Israel stance. His detractors say this is 'evident' from his article, India's Israel envy published in the Haaretz. The article also appeared in publications like The Australian and The Huffington Post through syndication, with the title, India longs to follow Israeli path to reprisal. It compares the Indo-Pak relations with that between Israeli and Palestine by contrasting the two in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attack. Though the content of the article does not have anything that puts him in line with the Israeli government, its tone juxtaposing the actions of India and Israel against their enemies (who happen to be the 'Islamic terrorists') was mainly the subject of contention.

Political opponents were quick to pounce on the issue with the Left mouth pieces dissecting the article and branding him 'pro-Israel' and, thus, anti-Muslim. Muslim outfits like the NDF, who support the Congress-led UDF in Kerala, has made it clear that they would not be favouring either Tharoor or KV Thomas. Thomas is also a Congress leader, who felicitated former Israeli premier, Ariel Sharon in a 2004 function. Minister of State for External Affairs, E Ahmed, a candidate from Malappuram, also faces attack by the opposition for his soft stance on Israel.