New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has denied BJP leader Nishikant Dubey's allegation that the former union minister had termed Dubey's character as “third grade” after the BJP leader revealed the names of banks which hold black money of many leaders who are members of Indian Parliament.
Tharoor, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, also said that he never threatened the Godda MP and challenged him to table the proof for the same.
"It has come to my notice that Nishikant Dubey of the BJP has alleged that I threatened him. Since I have never threatened anyone in my life, I would welcome proof of this allegation, as well as of his false accusation in Parliament linking my support for the Kochi IPL team to black money,” Tharoor clarified today on his official page on Facebook.
“Even while the debate was going on, I wrote to the Speaker asking for Dubey's unwarranted and libellous accusations to be expunged from the record. At no stage was there any black money involved in the Kochi IPL venture, nor is there any legal or factual basis for such a completely unsubstantiated accusation to be raised in Parliament,” he further wrote.
Dubey, during black Money debate inside the Parliament, had referred to Tharoor in context of Kochi team and black money saying receiving threat messages from Tharoor.
Furthermore, the Congress leader said that Dubey and he shared a personal bond and that the BJP MP has now misused his trust and friendship for personal gain.
He also divulge the text of SMS which Dubey had referred inside the Parliament.
He wrote: Since Dubey had pretended friendship and frequently enjoyed my hospitality, it was out of a sense of betrayal that I sent him a personal message by sms, the full text of which is as follows: 'You really are a 3rd rate character. How dare you mention Kochi and my resignation in the context of black money? What is the connection? Do you have any shred of proof for your false accusations? I regret ever having shown you decency when even Sunanda had turned against you and warned me about your character'.
“I fail to see any threat in this personal message of outrage at the conduct of an individual I knew personally. I dare say many would have gone farther than I did in these circumstances. But that was literally all I had to say, and unlike Dubey, I said it in a personal communication," Tharoor's Facebook post reads.
