"How can you distinguish between interest of party and nation?" RSP's Premachandran on Tharoor's "first loyalty" remark

New Delhi [India], July 20 (ANI): Revolutionary Socialist Party MP, N K Premachandran on Sunday in an abrasive response to his Lok Sabha colleague from the Congress party, Shashi Tharoor's "nation first" stance, stated that all political parties aim for betterment of the country and none act against national interests.
During a recent event in Kochi in Kerala, Tharoor responded to school boy's query about the Thiruvanthapuram MP's relations with the Congress party leadership in recent times, particularly after he led an all-party delegation to the Americas in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. Tharoor spoke about the necessity of crossparty cooperation in the interest of national security.
Premachandran, the Lok Sabha MP from Kollam today when asked about Tharoor's remarks responded that the latter "should understand one thing that the party is for the betterment of the people and the nation."
"It can never be against the nation's interest. How can you distinguish between the party's interest and the national interest? All parties under the representation of the People's Act, the Indian National Congress, as well as my party, RSP, all the political parties are for the betterment of the people. Can he say that the Congress Party is standing against the national interest?," the RSP leader said.
"...none of the parties are standing against the interests of the nation. We will have a difference of opinion. So the distinction between the party's interest and the nation's interest is not correct..."
Tharoor during the event in Kochi emphasised that, for him, national security will always come first. According to him, the main perspective of any political party is to make a better India.
"Politics is unfortunately or otherwise in any democracy is about competition. When people like me say we respect our parties we have certain values and convictions which keep us in our parties but we need to cooperate with other parties in the interest of national security...sometimes the parties feel this is disloyal to them. That becomes a big problem. Which is your first loyalty? To my mind the nation comes first," Tharoor had said.
"Parties are a means of making the nation better. So to my mind whichever party you belong to the objective of that party is to create a better India in it's own way. The parties have the right to disagree about the best way of doing that, the best way of making a better India", Tharoor said during the event.
Tharoor stressed that his commitment is towards a better and safe India whose borders are secure.
"...But ultimately, we must all be committed to a better India, a safer India, an India whose borders are protected, whose territory is safe, whose people's well-being can be nurtured. And that is my commitment", he said. (ANI)