Kochi: On Friday, Kerala BJP chief PS Sreedharan Pillai welcomed Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's aunt, Sobhana Sasikumar and her husband Sasikumar along with 13 others in the party. Shashi Tharoor’s relatives said that they were already supporters of the party for a long time. The development comes a day after Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan joined the BJP in presence of Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Shashi Tharoor's aunt Sobhana Sasikumar and her husband Sasikumar said they had been long-time followers of the BJP and speculate why such a function was planned to welcome them into the party.

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BJP’s Kerala president PS Sreedharan Pillai welcomed the new members from diverse backgrounds into the party. He also called them the cream of Kochi and respected them with a party shawl in the media's presence. Pillai also hailed the historical background of Tharoor's family, while addressing the function in Palakkad district and said people from such backgrounds becoming part of the BJP must be welcomed. When reporters moved towards

Tharoor's relatives, the couple said they had been following the BJP for a long time and did not know why such a function was organized to welcome them and asked the media to put the question to BJP leaders as to why it was held and left the venue. “The function was organized to give membership to new people. Tharoor's relatives might have appeared different party functions as its supporters but Friday's function was organized to give them party BJP’s membership,” BJP Ernakulam area general secretary KS Shaiju said.

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