New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said he had a “very good, constructive and positive conversation” with Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Speculation about differences had arisen after Tharoor’s absence from a party meeting in Kerala last week.
Shashi Tharoor participated in a meeting at Kharge’s office in Parliament today, which lasted for several hours. Speaking to news agency ANI, the Thiruvananthapuram MP emphasized that he has always stood with the Indian National Congress party and has actively participated in election campaigns. Shashi Tharoor said that he had a constructive and positive discussion with the two leaders of his party, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and the party president. He said that everything is fine and they are all on the same page, moving forward together. Tharoor said, “I have always campaigned for the party… Where have I not campaigned?”
Assembly elections are due soon in Shashi Tharoor’s home state of Kerala. When Tharoor was asked whether the Congress’s chief ministerial candidate was discussed in today’s meeting, and whether Shashi Tharoor would be in the race for the Kerala CM post,
he said that he has no interest in becoming a candidate for that position as being an MP suits him. When asked again if the Kerala CM candidate was discussed, Tharoor said, “No, that was not discussed.” He said that he is not interested in becoming a candidate for anything else. He is already an MP and his voters in Thiruvananthapuram trust him. His job is to represent the interests of the people of Thiruvananthapuram in Parliament.
Congress MP Tharoor also thanked Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge for the cordial discussion. Shashi Tharoor posted on X, “Thank you to Congress President Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for a warm and constructive discussion on several topics today.” “We are all on the same page when it comes to serving the people of India.”
Tharoor did not attend a crucial All India Congress Committee (AICC) meeting held in Kerala last week, which was meant to discuss preparations for the upcoming state assembly elections. However, he said that he had informed his party leaders in advance about his inability to attend the meeting. The Congress leader had told the party leadership that he would not be able to attend the meeting due to prior commitments at the Kerala Literature Festival.
Tharoor was at the festival to speak about his new book on Sree Narayana Guru. Meanwhile, on January 24, Tharoor clearly indicated that there were some “issues” between him and the party, and that he would like to discuss them with the party leadership. He had said, “Whatever issues there are, I will have to discuss them with the party leadership, and I am waiting for an opportunity to do so. I am not going to say anything publicly on this matter.”
