MP Shashi Tharoor, who often differs with his party on key issues, admitted on Thursday that he holds a difference of opinion with the Congress leadership. However, he firmly stated that he will stay put in the party.
Speaking to media persons in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor said he would not take pointed questions. “I was not here, as you know. Very recently, our senior leader Thennala Balakrishna Pillai passed away, and I am going there,” he said.
Tharoor had just returned after leading an all-party delegation on a five-nation diplomatic outreach named Operation Sindoor, covering the US and Brazil among others. He said, “Yes, I have differences of opinion with the Congress leadership, and that is known to all.”
“Some things are public. I will speak to the leadership directly. If they ask, I will reply. I’m not going anywhere… I’m a Congressman,” he added.
Tharoor’s participation in Operation Sindoor drew criticism from within the party. Congress had not officially nominated him to the delegation. He also faced flak for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, especially the government’s handling of cross-border terrorism.
When asked why he skipped campaigning for the party’s candidate in the Nilambur by-election, Tharoor said curtly, “I was not invited for it.”
Party Colleagues Criticise Tharoor’s Comments
Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan responded sharply. “What’s happening in Nilambur is not someone’s wedding to be invited,” he said.
Unnithan clarified that Congress leaders inform the campaign committee about their availability. The committee then decides who campaigns where. “There is no system of inviting leaders,” he said.
He went further, criticising Tharoor’s political stance. “For a while now, his mind is with Modi and the body with the Congress. All except Tharoor know where he is heading.”
Unnithan alleged that Tharoor lacks allegiance to the party and accused him of forgetting his political rise through Congress. The exchange reflects growing strain within the party’s ranks over ideological and personal divides.
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