MC Interview: Opponents in Thiruvananthapuram running away from debates, says Shashi Tharoor

Congress candidate for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, Shashi Tharoor.

Kerala’s capital city Thiruvananthapuram is witnessing a fiery battle in the Lok Sabha polls. Diplomat-turned-politician and three-time MP Shashi Tharoor is pitted against Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar and senior CPI leader and former MP Pannyan Raveendran.

Moneycontrol joined Tharoor on his campaign trail for a day. His street campaign started in Chempazhanthy at 8:30 am and concluded in Chanthavila at 10 pm. On an average, he travels 100-120 km a day campaigning, passing both through busy thoroughfares and interior roads. A strikingly large number of women and children lined up in front of their homes to catch a glimpse of the Congress leader.

Campaign songs "Shashi Tharoor...India yudae Abhimanam" (Shashi Tharoor is India's pride), rang through the air along with parodies of hit Malayalam movie songs. Crackers were burst and Tharoor was greeted with tri-colour shawls. Flanked by local party leaders, he delivered short speeches in Malayalam, thanking voters for their warmth and seeking a vote for an inclusive India.

Amid his hectic schedule and campaign, Tharoor spoke to Moneycontrol in an exclusive interview .

Edited excerpts follow:

You've served as a three-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram. What would you say are your major achievements?

Well, I've released a 68-page booklet detailing my achievements over the past 15 years. These range from breaking a 40-year logjam to creating a National Highway bypass from Kazhakuttom to Karode on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. It also includes the Vizhinjam port project, which was stuck without viable bidders until I intervened at the (then) Chief Minister's (Oommen Chandy) request.

My efforts led to bringing in five major companies in Technopark (an IT park in Thiruvananthapuram), including Oracle. Another contribution is the establishment of UAE consulate, and bringing 11 central institutions or regional offices to Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram).

The BJP has fielded junior IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar against you. Both of you appeal to similar segments: the upper-caste Nair community, as well as aspirational young voters.

I don't expect the outcome to differ from the 2019 polls, even though the two BJP candidates for 2019 and 2024 are quite distinct from each other. That's because there's a slight misconception about my so-called vote bank. I get votes from all sections of society—from the upper caste to the ordinary people, from the literary crowd to the fisherfolk, from the tribal areas of Amboori to the Technopark.

I'm somebody who has tried to appeal across age, gender, community, and religious barriers. To me, there are no barriers. I don't expect that a BJP candidate will have as broad an appeal as I have developed over the last 15 years in this constituency.

Voters in Thiruvananthapuram have been eagerly awaiting a debate among the three candidates...

I don't understand why they (opponents) are unwilling to debate me. I suppose it's because they feel they have no answers. For all that I have done and all that I can confidently speak about, there is no issue they can raise. In at least one instance that I am aware of, organised by the Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry, both candidates expressed willingness to attend individually but refused to participate in a debate. This has created an anomalous situation in Trivandrum.

Also, read:  After Rajeev Chandrasekhar's open debate challenge, Shashi Tharoor's reply

In my first election, I participated in 11 debates. In the second, there were four debates. In the third, it was down to one debate. And now it looks like it's going to end up in zero debates. So I'm not happy about the fact that opponents are running away from debates.

The Left Front has fielded the CPI's senior leader Pannyan Raveendran, who was elected from Thiruvananthapuram in 2005. Do you think this split in anti-BJP votes will affect you?

Pannyan Raveendran was the incumbent MP when I first entered in 2009. However, at that time, he or his party chose not to contest, putting forward another candidate instead. I'm unsure why he wasn't considered appropriate at that time. Fifteen years later, they have asked him to contest. He is a good man and is very much liked, including by my self, but I don't believe that his one-term record stands in comparison with my record of three terms in Parliament.

It is concerning and surprising that the Left campaign in Thiruvananthapuram has been entirely directed against me, with no mention of the BJP, whom we are trying to unseat in Delhi. This is a Lok Sabha election, not a state assembly election where the Congress and LDF are at daggers drawn. We could have both targeted the party (BJP) that came second in both the last two elections, which happens to be ruling the country at the Centre.

Most of my campaign is directed against the BJP candidate. I have been relatively soft in my criticism of the Left. But to my surprise, the Left has directed almost all their campaign rhetoric against me. I'm not here to pay attention to their unjustified attacks on me. It's disappointing that they have taken that approach.

But you both are part of the INDIA alliance....

The truth is that while the INDIA alliance works at the national level, it was always understood that in practice, it would be implemented on a state by state basis. If you look objectively, this is not the only example where parties that are allies in one state may not be allies in another. In Kerala, for instance, the LDF and UDF have been opposed to each other for 55 years, alternating in power until the last election.

The prospect of us being allied in Kerala is almost laughable. However, right next door in Tamil Nadu, CPI, CPM, the Indian Union Muslim League, and the Congress, are all aligned with each other and with the DMK, with no disputes over seat sharing or coordinated efforts.

Similarly, between Delhi and Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party aligns with us in Delhi but fights separately in Punjab. Each of our states has its political character and history, and state realities are part of national elections. Voters may vote differently between state and national elections, but parties have certain ideological constructs.

Your opponents claim that your promises, such as the high court bench and the Barcelona twin city programme, didn't materialise.

I travelled to Barcelona, met with the mayor and the city council, and returned with a resolution from Barcelona offering to twin with Trivandrum and provide development assistance. However, when I presented it to the communist mayor here, he refused to bring the resolution to the city council because he didn't want a Congress MP's project to succeed.

As far as the High Court bench is concerned (the Kerala High Court is in Kochi, not the state capital Thiruvananthapuram), it is settled jurisprudence in our country that a High Court bench cannot be established without the agreement of the Chief Justice of the state. I have approached every successor Chief Justice, but they have all stated that agreement from the other judges is required. Unfortunately, they have been unable to secure such an agreement.

I explored other options, including drafting a private member's bill to mandate the establishment of high court benches in state capitals without one. I wrote that fully knowing that only three states in the country: Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Kerala, lack a high court bench in their capitals. Ultimately, Thiruvananthapuram is the only state capital where there is a demand for a high court bench, and it would cost nobody anything.

However, despite presenting it to the law minister of the BJP government, it was not accepted, citing reluctance to antagonise the judiciary over the issue.

BJP leader O Rajagopal, who contested against me in 2014, had been the Union Minister of State for Law in the Vajpayee government, and he couldn't get it done for the same reason. It’s not because of a lack of trying or good faith on my part. I never make false promises.

Congress candidate for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, Shashi Tharoor, campaigning near the Technopark IT hub.

Thiruvananthapuram is an IT hub. What is your vision for the tech sector?

When I first came, Technopark had one phase and 17,500 people; today, it has expanded to three phases and employs 75,000 people. I played a major role in bringing about the development of the third phase, particularly when Taurus Downtown made a major investment. I want to attract more companies to Technopark, which necessitates not only more space and infrastructure but also improved flight connectivity.

One of the challenges I encountered was when I initiated discussions with Tech Mahindra and they established a small operation, but hesitated to expand further due to the lack of adequate flights between Pune and Trivandrum.

This underscores the need for better air connectivity. So, I chaired a flight connectivity summit inviting all the airlines, to encourage them to increase flights to Trivandrum airport. I was supportive of a public-private partnership project for Trivandrum airport as I believe enhancing air connectivity is crucial for the region's development.

Do you think there’s voter fatigue after 15 years?

The bulk of the voters, whom I've been interacting with in the course of the last five weeks of my campaigning, have been extremely affectionate and warm. So, I'm extremely confident that the way things look, I'm on course for re-election.

Equally, during moments of crisis, I've been present and widely considered to be seriously effective. In both Cyclone Ockhi and the COVID pandemic, I was quick off the mark. During Cyclone Ockhi, while it was unfolding, I was in direct communication from the coastal area with the shipping minister, naval commanders, coast guard officials, and others, bringing assistance for our fishermen stranded at sea.

During the COVID pandemic, before the Union government ceased all MP funds, I utilised my allocated funds within 24 hours of the lockdown to procure PPE kits and RT-PCR testing equipment for government hospitals in Trivandrum. These hospitals lacked essential supplies such as masks, gloves, gowns and testing kits, and I also facilitated the procurement of thermal scanners for the airport and railway station through donations. I worked to repatriate students stranded in 22 countries worldwide.

I haven't even mentioned the hundreds of individual cases and issues of constituents that I've successfully resolved over the years. I take pride in all that I've accomplished for the people of the constituency over the last 15 years.

In Kerala, my constituents expect me to be a voice for secularism, diversity, acceptance, cooperation, and social harmony among communities. I've been a very effective voice and steering the national discourse constructively in these areas over the past 15 years.

Will you support an IPL team in Kerala again if given a chance?

I did support an IPL team from Kerala, which unfortunately led to unjustified and false accusations against me, even prompting my temporary resignation from the government. As a result, I have decided to refrain from personally involving myself in supporting any particular venture. However, if there is a future tender for teams and somebody bids from Kerala, I will applaud them from the sidelines. But I will not be directly involved.

I have a soft corner for one team, captained by a young boy whom I encouraged since the age of 14, in Thiruvananthapuram. None other than Sanju Samson. I first saw him play at the age of 14 in a club game, and since then, I have supported him at every stage of his career, including helping him when he didn't have enough attendance for his high school exams. I have rooted for him and backed him all the way. I'm just absolutely delighted that he's captaining Rajasthan Royals, especially as they're having a very good season this year. So, I'm rooting for him and his team.

Also, read: High-profile clash: It's Congress's Tharoor vs BJP's Chandrasekhar in Lok Sabha polls