Been "strong critic" of Modi govt, never justified him:Tharoor

In the eye of a storm over his pro-Modi remarks, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said he had never justified Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but was in fact a "strong critic" of the BJP government.

"I have been a strong critic of the Modi Government and I hope a constructive one," the former union minister said in his e-mail reply to the explanation sought by KPCC President, Mullapally Ramachandran on his alleged "Modi praise."
"On the contrary, I would urge you to look at the Parliament debates of the recently-concluded eight-week session of the Lok Sabha and find me one leader from our state who has made 10 per cent of the effort I made to study, research, anticipate and oppose the Modi Government on every bill they sought to introduce against the spirit of our Constitution and the values of the Congress party."
The congress leader said he had intervened more than 50 times in parliament and had spoken against 17 Bills with "courage and conviction."
The former union minister had been criticised by Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala and three party MPs-- K Muraleedharan, Benny Behannan and T N Pratapan for his "Modi praise."
On the "outcry" against him, Tharoor said it was based on "hysterical reactions to distorted reporting of a single tweet."
I welcome others in Opposition coming around to a view for which I was excoriated at the time!"
Tharoor also thanked the ordinary congress workers and volunteers in Kerala and throughout the country who have stood by him through "all this mindless controversy."