Thiruvananthapuram, July 27 -- Veteran filmmaker and Dadasaheb Phalke Awardee Adoor Gopalakrishnan on Sunday said that Congress MP Shashi Tharoor should be welcomed with open arms in politics, while praising him at the P Kesavadev Memorial Literary Award ceremony held here.

Gopalakrishnan, who presented the award to Tharoor, said, "What Shashi Tharoor is experiencing is the problem of being too tall. The average Malayali prefers mediocrity. The moment someone rises above that, they are cut down. Tharoor should be welcomed with open arms in politics and everywhere else."

The remarks came amid ongoing internal friction within the Congress party, where Tharoor has faced criticism from party leaders after his remarks in support of "nation f...