Chandy supports Tharoor in time of crisis

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Saturday that he stood behind union Minister Shashi Tharoor in his hour of crisis. State unit Congress president and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, however, stayed mum.

"All my support is there for him," Chandy said, condoling the sudden demise of Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar who was found dead in a luxury hotel in Delhi Friday night.

Chennithala did not respond to questions the media posed on the matter.

Communist Party of India-Marxist state secretary Pinnarayi Vijayan, while condoling the death, said there was a mystery behind the incident and a probe must be conducted into the circumstances of the death.

"It appears that some people are showing undue haste in backing Tharoor," Vijayan told reporters at Kannur Saturday.

Tharoor represents the prestigious capital city Lok Sabha constituency which he won with a record margin, winning over 44 percent of the votes and gaining a lead of nearly a lakh votes over his closest rival in 2009. He also used his own resources to finance his campaign.

Although he ran into some controversies during his tenure as parliamentarian, he nurtured his constituency well and was certain he would be fielded again. It is to be seen if that certainty has now eroded.