Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday slammed the circulation of photographs showing him with Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, saying that it was “an act of cheap politics”, reported PTI.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP said that the photographs were taken during Moitra’s birthday party, which was attended by around 15 persons, including his sister.

He said that photographs were cropped before being shared on social media by trolls.

“This is just cheap politics. It was the birthday party of that child. Well, she is not a child, but for me, she is like one. That MP is around 20 years younger to me,” Tharoor said, according to PTI. “ It was her birthday party, in which around 15 people, including my sister, participated. Instead of showing the full image, they are spreading the cropped one.”

Tharoor added that he does not give importance to “such trolls” and is busy working for the people. “They are spreading it as a private meeting, but then who clicked the picture,” he asked.

Last week, Moitra had also reacted to the photographs saying that she was amused at seeing her photos circulating on social media and had accused the “BJP’s troll sena” of being behind it.

“Most amused to see some personal photos of me being circulated on social media by BJP’s troll sena,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on October 15.

She added: “I like the green dress better on me than the white blouse. And why bother cropping – show the rest of the folks at dinner as well. Bengal’s women live a life. Not a lie.”

After one of the photographs showed her holding a cigar, Moitra clarified that she does not smoke and instead is allergic to smoking.

“I don’t smoke. (I) am severely allergic to cigarettes. I was just posing for a joke with a friend’s cigar,” she had posted in reply to a comment by a social media user.