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Shashi Tharoor: India minister alleges 'vilification' by rivals | Shashi Tharoor: India minister alleges 'vilification' by rivals |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Indian minister Shashi Tharoor has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission accusing his political opponents of a "vilification" campaign. | Indian minister Shashi Tharoor has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission accusing his political opponents of a "vilification" campaign. |
Mr Tharoor, who is running in the general election, says his rivals are trying to portray him as anti-women. | Mr Tharoor, who is running in the general election, says his rivals are trying to portray him as anti-women. |
His wife, Sunanda Pushkar, was found dead in January. Doctors said she may have died from a drug overdose. | His wife, Sunanda Pushkar, was found dead in January. Doctors said she may have died from a drug overdose. |
The couple were embroiled in a row days before her death over Twitter messages suggesting he was having an affair. | The couple were embroiled in a row days before her death over Twitter messages suggesting he was having an affair. |
Police are investigating whether the overdose by Ms Pushkar, who was found dead in a hotel room, was deliberate or accidental. | Police are investigating whether the overdose by Ms Pushkar, who was found dead in a hotel room, was deliberate or accidental. |
Mr Tharoor is India's junior minister for human resource development and represents the governing Congress party. | Mr Tharoor is India's junior minister for human resource development and represents the governing Congress party. |
He filed his complaint on Tuesday to the chief electoral officer in the southern state of Kerala, where he is fighting to retain his seat in the Lok Sabha - the lower house of parliament. Elections in India are due over nine phases in April and May. | He filed his complaint on Tuesday to the chief electoral officer in the southern state of Kerala, where he is fighting to retain his seat in the Lok Sabha - the lower house of parliament. Elections in India are due over nine phases in April and May. |
The minister has alleged that his opponents from both sides of the political spectrum are engaged in a "sustained campaign of vilification and defamation". | The minister has alleged that his opponents from both sides of the political spectrum are engaged in a "sustained campaign of vilification and defamation". |
"[They are] intended to portray me as someone who harms women, and using false stories about the tragic death of my wife to assassinate my character. This is a desperate ploy by those who have no answers to my development work," Mr Tharoor said in the complaint. | |
The minister's complaint follows comments by communist politicians VS Sunil Kumar and M Vijaya Kumar on regional television networks. | The minister's complaint follows comments by communist politicians VS Sunil Kumar and M Vijaya Kumar on regional television networks. |
Ms Pushkar's death shocked many in India. A few days before she died, a public row broke out between the couple when seemingly private messages between Mr Tharoor and Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar were published on his Twitter feed. | Ms Pushkar's death shocked many in India. A few days before she died, a public row broke out between the couple when seemingly private messages between Mr Tharoor and Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar were published on his Twitter feed. |
Ms Pushkar, 52, said she had gone into her husband's account and published the messages, accusing Ms Tarar of stalking her husband - an allegation denied by the Pakistani journalist. | Ms Pushkar, 52, said she had gone into her husband's account and published the messages, accusing Ms Tarar of stalking her husband - an allegation denied by the Pakistani journalist. |
Ms Pushkar and Mr Tharoor later insisted they were happily married and blamed "unauthorised tweets" for causing confusion. | Ms Pushkar and Mr Tharoor later insisted they were happily married and blamed "unauthorised tweets" for causing confusion. |
Mr Tharoor, a former UN diplomat, was forced to resign from his first ministerial position in 2010 amid controversy over his involvement in bidding for a cricket team. | Mr Tharoor, a former UN diplomat, was forced to resign from his first ministerial position in 2010 amid controversy over his involvement in bidding for a cricket team. |
He was appointed junior minister for human resource development in 2012. | He was appointed junior minister for human resource development in 2012. |
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