Sustained misinformation campaign against Tharoor: Cong

Rallying behind party MP Shashi Tharoor, who is under spotlight of media and political parties over his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death case, Congress today alleged that there is "sustained misinformation campaign based on insinuation and innuendos" against him and stressed he "neither was, nor is accused in the case".
While highly-placed sources ruled out any plan in the party to ask him to resign, Congress spokesperson Randip Surjewala at the AICC briefing hit out at the BJP saying sections of the ruling party claim to have access to documents that can only be available with the investigating officer or the investigating agency.

The remarks by the party spokesperson came a day after Tharoor met Ahmed Patel, the political secretary of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, where he is learnt to have explained his side of story.
"Intervention or interference within ongoing criminal investigation is neither appropriate nor warranted," Surjewala said at the outset before alleging that "there is a sustained misinformation campaign based on insinuation and innuendos in which a certain section of the leadership of the BJP is also involved".
He said that such BJP leaders "claim to have access to documents or information that could possibly be available only to the investigating officers and investigating agencies".

Noting that the authenticity of such information is itself under doubt, the Congress spokesperson also said that it is for the investigation agency concerned to look at how such information is available to people outside if it is really so.

"Tharoor neither was, nor is accused in the case. Tharoor has already stated that he is willing to participate and cooperate in the investigation. We deprecate any misinformation, insinuation and innuendo," Surjewala said.
"For what should he resign? Has something come out against him," a senior party functionary said speaking on the condition of anonymity when asked the possibility of Tharoor either resigning as MP or from Congress as investigations proceed into the case.

The Congress had earlier said that there must be an impartial inquiry into the matter.
Party general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi had a few days days ago said that there should be no discrimination either in someone's favour or against in the investigation.
Tharoor said yesterday that he would cooperate in the investigation, even as Delhi Police said it will not question him as of now.
51-year-old Sunanda was found dead in a five-star hotel in South Delhi on the night of January 17 last year. Delhi Police had on Tuesday registered a case of murder in connection with Sunanda's death under Section 302 of IPC on the basis of an AIIMS medical report that concluded that her death was unnatural and due to poisoning.