Shashi Tharoor (PTI image)
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday dismissed speculation of a rift within the party, asserting that he is on the same page with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The statement comes after a recent closed-door meeting with the party’s top leadership.Referring to his meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Kharge, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said, “We’re on the same page. We’re moving forward determined. I think it’s extremely important, both at the state level and at the national level, that Congress must represent not just an opposition party, but an alternative government.”
Emphasizing the party’s readiness to govern, Tharoor added, “An alternative government is what the people want to see, whether at the center or the state. We need to stay together, work together and move forward together, and we’re doing that.”Tharoor’s remarks come after weeks of speculation about internal unease following his perceived sidelining at a Congress event in Kochi last month and his subsequent absence from a key Kerala strategy meeting chaired by Kharge. The tensions had triggered concerns within the party that the issue could snowball into a larger messaging problem ahead of the high-stakes Kerala elections.After weeks of visible discomfort, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi met Tharoor on Thursday in a detailed “redressal” meeting. The meeting, held in Kharge’s chamber in the Parliament House complex, lasted over an hour and forty-five minutes.Emerging from the meeting, Tharoor struck a conciliatory tone. Speaking to reporters, he said, “We had a discussion with my two party leaders, the LoP and the Congress president. We had a very good, constructive, positive discussion. All is good and we are moving together on the same page.”Sources told PTI that the discussion was “comprehensive”, covering a wide range of issues, with the leadership making time for a thorough exchange.Tharoor later reinforced the truce on social media, thanking Kharge and Gandhi for a “warm and constructive discussion” and reiterating that they were “all on the same page” as the party moves forward “in the service of the people of India”.Addressing speculation over the Congress’ chief ministerial face in Kerala, Tharoor categorically denied any such ambition. “That was never the issue. I am not interested in being the candidate for anything. At the moment I am already an MP, that is my job,” he said.The Congress leader also dismissed reports suggesting he might quit the party. “I can say that I am going to be in the Congress and that I am not going anywhere,” he said, adding that he would campaign extensively across Kerala’s 140 Assembly constituencies for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).Tharoor highlighted that he had campaigned in 56 constituencies in the last Assembly elections and hoped to cover even more this time. “It is very important that we send the right message to voters and have an opportunity to make a significant impact on people’s lives,” he said.Rejecting reports of discord, Tharoor described them as “exaggerated” and maintained that discussions within the party were healthy. “I see it in a positive way that one has an opportunity to discuss all issues very cordially and constructively in the spirit of camaraderie,” he said.The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the Left Democratic Front after a decade in opposition in Kerala. Party leaders acknowledge that unity will be critical as the BJP also looks to expand its footprint in the state.
