KPCC asks K.V. Thomas to explain his remark

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Saturday sought an explanation from senior party leader K.V. Thomas, MP, who is facing flak for his reported appreciation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s management skills.

“What he is said to have spoken, going by media reports, is not in line with the party’s stance and a grave deviation. That’s why we have asked him to explain,” KPCC president M.M. Hassan said on Saturday.

Prof. Thomas claimed he was misquoted. He had only said that Mr. Modi used his management skills to implement the wrong and anti-people decisions taken by the Centre. “Mr. Modi is not a good administrator. But he has been able to curry favour with the media and even the judiciary with his management expertise. Although not a good administrator, he is moving ahead by misleading people with his management skills. I said that students of management can put his way of functioning to study,” said a rejoinder issued by him.

The district secretariat of the CPI(M) in Ernakulam criticised Prof. Thomas’s speech as seeking to challenge all secularists, “as it comes just when the Mr. Modi is in the dock over his stance in the Kathua and Unnao rapes and the attacks on Dalits and minorities.’’

The Youth Congress dubbed Prof. Thomas’s speech ‘irresponsible, deplorable and unbecoming of a Congress worker.’