Antony asks leaders to show moderation in channel debates

"Even when sticking firm on their stand on issues, politicians should curb the tendency to level personal allegations while participating in channel debates," the Congress stalwart said at a function organised here to felicitate senior BJP leader and former Union minister O Rajagopal on the golden jubilee of his public life.

Antony said it was unfortunate that personal friendships were often forgotten in the eagerness to score debating points. This was not the sign of a healthy culture of discourse and debates and this had not been the tradition of Kerala, he said.

He said that Rajagopal contributed significantly for development of railways in Kerala when he was a minister in the NDA government.

Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu, former Union minister and Socialist Janata (Democratic) Party leader M P Veerendrakumar, CPI-M's Lok Sabha member M B Rajesh and IUML leader Abus Samad Samadani were among those who spoke at the public reception organised at the home town of Rajagopal.

As a senior leader of the saffron party, Rajagopal has been active in Kerala's political scene since the Jan Sagh days. He had served as a minister of state in the NDA regime headed by A B Vajpayee.