Tharoor 'accepts' Congress party's decision to remove him as spokesperson

In a statement, Tharoor said: "I have seen the press release issued bu the AICC and, as a loyal worker of the Congress Party, accept the decision of the Party President to relieve me of my responsibilities as a Spokesman."

He said: "I am in politics to serve the people of India, and my constituency, Thiruvananthapuram, through my service to the Congress Party."

Tharoor said: "While I have not yet seen the KPCC complaint referred to , and while I would have welcomed an opportunity to respond to it and draw the attention of the AICC leadership to the full range of my statements and writings on contemporary political issues, I am now treating this matter as closed and have no further comment to make."

Tharoor had recently received flak from his own party's Kerala unit for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Clean India campaign under which he was chosen by the PM to take the idea forward with his own contribution.

Earlier he had refuted being pro-Modi in any way and had tweeted: "Being receptive to specific statements or actions of BJP leaders does not remotely imply acceptance of the party's core Hindutva agenda. Such comments ignore my extensive criticisms of BJP government, which are all a matter of record and which far outweigh positive points."

He said he was astonished by the charges that he was pro BJP since he is a strong votary of India's pluralism. 

Kerala Congress president V M Sudheeran earlier slammed Tharoor saying that it was Congress which sent him to Parliament and so hence should not go against the party line.