Days after a court in Kerala summoned Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to appear before it on 2 May in a defamation case filed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, the former has issued an extraordinary note ‘unconditionally’ withdrawing his allegations.
In 2018, Prasad had referred to Tharoor as a murder accused in his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death. Writing to Tharoor, Prasad said, “More than a year ago during the heat of campaign I had made a comment describing you an accused in a murder case. On receiving subsequent information about the conclusion of the investigation in the concerned I learnt that the said allegation against you is not factually correct. I accordingly, withdraw it unconditionally.”
Responding to Prasad’s letter, Tharoor wrote, “It was very gracious of you to withdraw your words in respect of myself, which had offended me greatly. I welcome your sentiments and in view of our long association, I am happy to treat the matter as closed. I am instructing my lawyers to withdraw the case I had filed on this matter.”
Tharoor took to Twitter to share his correspondence with Prasad as he wrote, “Pleased to announce the amicable settlement of my recent differences with Shri @rsprasad.”
Pleased to announce the amicable settlement of my recent differences with Shri @rsprasad. pic.twitter.com/FvF1p9PqaA
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 21, 2020
In October 2018, reacting to Tharoor’s statement, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a scorpion on a Shivling, Prasad had addressed the Congress MP from Kerala as ‘Shashi Tharoor who is accused in a murder case has attempted to disrespect Lord Shiva.’
Tharoor had sent him a legal notice demanding immediate withdrawal of his allegations against him.
Speaking at an event in Bengaluru, Tharoor had said, “The personality cult has not sat very well with many in the RSS establishment. There is an extraordinary striking metaphor expressed by an unnamed RSS source to journalist Vinod Jose of Caravan (news magazine)in which they express their frustration with their inability to curb Mr Modi. The (RSS) man says, ‘Mr Modi is like scorpion sitting on a shivling. You can’t remove it from your hand and you cannot hit it with chappals.’ And if you think about it, that’s a very very profound understanding of the relationship.”