It’s all gloomy in Tharoor’s town

At the usually bustling state Congress office in Thiruvananthapuram the mood was sombre. Some district leaders tried their best to hide their discomfiture. Others were glued to TV to hear the Congress core committee’s verdict and its numerous interpretations.

“He is not a politician and paid the price.” That was the first reaction of M.G. Menon, uncle of Shashi Tharoor on his nephew’s resignation from the UPA government. “All of us family members were upset when some leaders raised corruption charges against him. Sad, they were quite ignorant about his three-decade-long diplomatic career,” said Menon, a senior manager with a bank.

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Tharoor’s mother and sister are in Singapore and could not be contacted. “A cricket buff, his concern was his state. We never expected this,” Menon said.

At the usually bustling state Congress office here the mood was sombre. Some district leaders tried their best to hide their discomfiture. Others were glued to TV to hear the Congress core committee’s verdict and its numerous interpretations. The scene at the Congress’s district office was no different. When a local leader said ethusiastically, “We should give a rousing reception when he returns,” all he got was cold stares.

Tharoor’s tweeting friend and Kannur MP K. Sudhakaran, however, defended his colleague saying, “He will bounce back.”