Shashi Tharoor meets Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge amid rift rumors
What's the story
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor met party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi in Parliament on Thursday. The meeting comes amid speculation of a rift between Tharoor and the party high command. Reportedly, Tharoor had even skipped a key Congress meeting on Kerala Assembly poll preparations. He had cited prior commitments at the Kerala Literature Festival for his absence.
Party dynamics
Tharoor's absence from Congress meeting sparks speculation
Tharoor's absence from the Congress meeting has fueled speculation of internal rifts. The party, however, denied any issues and attributed Tharoor's absence to his prior commitments. On January 24, Tharoor hinted at some "issues" with the party that he wanted to discuss with its leadership. He said he would not discuss these matters publicly but hoped for an opportunity to address them within the party.
Meeting
Tharoor skipped another meeting on Tuesday
But on Tuesday, he skipped a meeting of the party's parliamentary strategy group ahead of the upcoming budget session of the Parliament. According to sources quoted by PTI, Tharoor was unable to attend the meeting since he was returning from a literature festival in Dubai. Responding to reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday evening, Tharoor refused to comment on reports suggesting political leanings toward the CPM, saying his absence from the meeting was being misconstrued.
Strained ties
Tharoor's relationship with Congress reportedly strained
Tharoor's relationship with the Congress has reportedly been strained since the Pahalgam terror attack. He had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handling of the crisis, which drew criticism from within his party. The strain deepened when Tharoor accepted an invitation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to lead a cross-party delegation on India's response to the attack. Tharoor also wrote an article criticizing family-led parties like the Congress.