'Did not mediate for Tharoor's rumoured CPM switch; Pinarayi likely to get third term'

DUBAI: Billionaire businessman M A Yusuff Ali denied reports of mediating talks to bring estranged Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to CPM. Earlier, there were reports of CPM holding talks with Tharoor in Dubai through the intermediary of a business magnate.

M A Yusuff Ali was speaking at an event attended by the Chief Minister in Dubai. Yusuff Ali said that the reports of his role in mediation to bring Tharoor to the CPM were completely baseless. Yusuff Ali added that he had no particular political ambitions but expressed a possibility of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan returning to power for the third time.

Meanwhile, Shashi Tharoor was very cautious in his response to questions about changing allegiance in politics. Tharoor said that he was travelling on a flight when he learned about such rumours. The Thiruvananthapuram MP said that it was not ideal to comment on politics while staying on foreign soil. There are strong reports of discord over Rahul Gandhi ignoring Tharoor at the 'Mahapanchayat' event held in Kochi.