Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, on Thursday, reacted to a report claiming his aide was apprehended at the Delhi airport smuggling 500 grams of gold and said “The law must take its own course”.
Tharoor’s statement comes after Delhi Customs on Wednesday detained two people at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport for allegedly smuggling 500 grams of gold worth approximately Rs 30 lakh. One of those detained, identified as Shiv Kumar Prasad, claimed he was the personal assistant of Shashi Tharoor.
Reacting to this development, Tharoor said that he supports the authorities in their investigation and does not condone any alleged wrongdoing.
“While I am in Dharamshala for campaigning purposes, I was shocked to hear of an incident involving a former member of my staff who has been rendering part-time service to me in terms of airport facilitation assistance,” Tharoor said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“He is a 72-year-old retiree undergoing frequent dialysis and was retained on a part-time basis on compassionate grounds. I do not condone any alleged wrongdoing and fully support the authorities in their efforts to take any necessary action as may be required to investigate the matter. The law must take its own course,” he added.
‘Alliance of gold smugglers’
The BJP was quick to attack Tharoor, saying the CPM and the Congress were an “alliance of gold smugglers”.
“First CM secy involved in gold smuggling. Now Cong MP ‘aide’/PA detained for gold smuggling. CPM and Cong – both INDI alliance partners – alliance of gold smuggler,” Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar tweeted.
Shashi Tharoor is currently the sitting MP from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he is contesting against Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar.