Sashi Tharoor, on Saturday, said that he has not stitched a coat for the Chief Minister’s post. The Congress MP was responding to party leader Ramesh Chennithala’s statement that if anybody has stitched a coat for the chief minister’s post, he should take it off.

Apparently targeting Tharoor for expressing a desire to be party’s chief ministerial candidate for the state, the former Opposition leader in Kerala assembly said on Friday that nobody should say now what he would become after four years. Everyone should work for the party’s success in the Lok Sabha polls.

Stating that it didn’t matter what anyone says, Tharoor said, “This coat is not the chief minister’s coat. Is there a coat for the chief minister? Ask whoever said it,” Tharoor told media persons in Kannur.

“I haven’t stitched any coat for the CM post. I wasn’t aware that our chief ministers wear coats. I’m not sure who stitched the coat and when,” he added.

The Thruvananthapuram MP clarified that he was attending functions and events as the public was inviting him. “I’ll continue to attend events if the public invite me. I’ve been attending events for the past 14 years. This is nothing new,” he said.

He further said he gets invited to participate in more events in Kerala because the locals want to meet him.

It has been reported that the AICC leadership has received complaints that Tharoor has been conducting tours and declaring his wish to be the chief minister, flouting party discipline. However, the leadership is unable to take any action against Tharoor as they think it could backfire if people’s sentiments go against the party.

It is a fact that Tharoor is getting support from all sections in the society in Kerala and a large number of youths are participating in his programmes . Tharoor is also getting support from constituent parties in the UDF, the Muslim League, and religious and  community organisations such as  the Nair Service society(NSS), Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama and some Christian organisations.

Political observers say that the image of the LDF Government has now taken a beating due to various reasons. In such a situation, Tharoor has got acceptability in a large section of the people of the state. In such a situation, if any disciplinary action is taken against Tharror that is bound to be detrimental to the Congress.

Against this backdrop, state party leaders are also thinking in terms of making use of Shashi Tharoor’s popularity and acceptability.