National News
Shashi Tharoor to Skip Key Congress Kerala Poll Strategy Meet, ‘Kochi Snub’ by Rahul Gandhi Triggers Discontent: Sources
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is likely to skip a crucial party strategy meeting ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections, with sources indicating he is upset over what he views as repeated attempts to sideline him, including a recent public snub by Rahul Gandhi.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is likely to skip a crucial party strategy meeting ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections, with sources indicating he is upset over what he views as repeated attempts to sideline him, including a recent public snub by Rahul Gandhi.
According to party insiders, Tharoor’s decision follows growing disappointment over his treatment within the state unit, with the immediate trigger being an incident at the ‘Maha Panchayath’ event in Kochi on January 19, organised to felicitate local body poll winners.
Sources said Rahul Gandhi acknowledged several senior leaders on the dais by name but did not mention Tharoor, a four-time MP and one of Kerala’s three Congress Working Committee (CWC) members, despite his presence on stage.
While Tharoor’s office maintained that he had already informed the party about his inability to attend the Friday meeting due to prior commitments at the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode, leaders close to him said the absence also reflects his dissatisfaction with how he has been treated.
The reported discontent comes despite earlier attempts to project unity. During the ‘Lakshya 2026’ leadership camp in Wayanad, organised by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, differences between Tharoor and the state leadership were believed to have been resolved. After the conclave, Tharoor had publicly asserted that he had “never deviated from the party line.”
However, tensions appear to have resurfaced within days.
Sources said Tharoor has conveyed concerns about “mistreatment” to senior party functionaries, including AICC general secretaries KC Venugopal and Deepa Das Munshi, who oversees Kerala affairs.
At the Wayanad meeting, leaders had reportedly reached an understanding that Tharoor would not contest the Assembly polls but would campaign extensively across the state. Yet, recent developments suggest friction within the state unit remains unresolved.
There has been no official reaction from the Congress leadership on the matter.
Tharoor has previously faced criticism from within the party over some of his public remarks and articles, particularly on foreign policy issues. Last year, controversy erupted over his comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and diplomatic outreach following the Pahalgam attack, which some leaders said diverged from the party’s stand. Tharoor, however, has consistently maintained that foreign policy should remain bipartisan.
Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is scheduled to chair Friday’s meeting with Kerala leaders to fine-tune the party’s strategy against the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the upcoming Assembly elections.
