AMN / THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
BJP leader and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in a hospital here on Tuesday setting aside political rivalry. Tharoor was injured during a temple ritual on Monday. “Civility is a rare virtue in politics,” Mr Tharoor tweeted later
“I got to know that he (Shashi Tharoor) injured himself while performing some ritual. So I thought I should go and wish him well. I hadn’t informed anybody, not even in my party circle. On my way back to the airport, I thought I should go to the hospital,” Ms Sitharaman told a news agency.
Later Mr Tharoor tweeted a picture of the defence minister visiting him in his hospital room. “Civility is a rare virtue in politics,” he posted, sharing a photo with the minister and top BJP leader in his hospital room.
Ms Sitharaman was in Kerala for the BJP’s election campaign. Several other leaders too reached out to the Congress leader, who was expected to file his nomination on April 14.
Shashi Tharoor, was injured during a ritual called ”thulabharam” on Vishu, in which a person is weighed against flowers, grains, fruits and similar items in temples and the equal value or quantity is offered as donation. While he was sitting on one of the pans of the weighing scale, the hook came off and its iron panel fell on his head.
Mr Tharoor is the sitting MP from Thiruvananthapuram since 2009 and is aiming for a third term in the three-cornered fight between the Congress, the Left and the BJP. Former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan is the BJP candidate.
Kerala will vote in a single phase on April 23 in the seven-phase national election.
Touched by the gesture of @nsitharaman, who dropped by today morning to visit me in the hospital, amid her hectic electioneering in Kerala. Civility is a rare virtue in Indian politics – great to see her practice it by example! pic.twitter.com/XqbLf1iCR5
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 16, 2019