Shashi Tharoor | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Congress Working Committee (CWC) member and MP Shashi Tharoor seems to have dispelled speculations that he is moving away from the party by attending the 78th Mahatma Gandhi Martyr Day celebrations at the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) headquarters at Indira Bhavan here on Friday.
Mr Tharoor’s closed-door meeting with All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharg and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Thursday has fueled intense political curiosity in Kerala, especially amid media reports suggesting that the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) initiated it through covert intermediary contact.
Speculation was further fueled on Sunday when LDF convener TP Ramakrishnan said Mr Tharoor or anyone joining the political stance of the Left would be welcome, while claiming that the ruling front had not held any discussions with the MP.
Sections of the media also reported that Mr. Tharoor felt increasingly marginalized in the Congress and that Mr. Gandhi conspicuously ignored him at the party’s “Maha Panchayat” meeting in Kochi on January 19.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Tharoor said he did not wish to dwell on the past, had no differences with the party and remained a Congress worker. He reiterated his faith in Mr. Gandhi’s leadership and praised him for his uncompromising stance against divisive communal forces. “I have always defended Mr. Gandhi and admired his seriousness,” he said.
Mr Tharoor joined Congress veteran AK Antony, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, MP, Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala to pay homage to the Father of the Nation at Indira Bhavan.
Mr. Venugopal dismissed reports of Mr. Tharoor’s defection to the LDF or any differences with the Congress national leadership as figments of the media’s imagination. He added that Mr. Tharoor would spearhead the United Democratic Front (UDF) Assembly election campaign in Kerala.
Describing Mr Tharoor as the “pride” of the Congress party, Mr Satheesan said he would work with the UDF team to ensure the alliance secured 100 seats in the Assembly elections.
Earlier, Mr Tharoor had faced criticism from the Kerala Congress leadership for allegedly deviating from the party line on numerous occasions, including Operation Sindoor, and for being a frequent absentee MP and party leader.
Published – 30 Jan 2026 21:00 IST
