New Delhi, Jan 23: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is set to skip a strategy meeting of the party for the upcoming Kerala polls on Friday as he is upset over Rahul Gandhi not properly acknowledging his presence at a recent event and repeated attempts by state leaders to “sideline” him, sources said on Friday.
They said that while a series of events had led to his disappointment with the treatment meted out, the tipping point was Gandhi not acknowledging him at the ‘Maha Panchayath’ held in Kochi on January 19 to felicitate local body poll winners.
Gandhi acknowledged other senior leaders on stage and took their names but did not mention Tharoor, a four-time MP and one of the three CWC members from the state, who was also on the dais, the sources said.
Tharoor’s office said he has informed the party over his inability to attend the meeting due to his prior commitments at the Kerala Literature festival in Kozhikode.
However, according to sources close to him, he is very upset at the treatment meted out to him by the party especially after differences had been ironed out at the Wayanad meetings on the sidelines of the Lakshya 2026 leadership camp, organised by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, to chalk out strategies for the upcoming state Assembly elections.
After that conclave, Tharoor had said that he had never deviated from the party line.
There was no official reaction from the Congress on the issue.
A united call was given by Kerala Congress leaders to take on the LDF in the upcoming assembly polls from Wayanad. Reportedly an understanding was reached that he would not contest but campaign in the polls throughout the state.
However, days later, the differences within the state unit have again emerged with Tharoor seemingly not happy with the way he has been treated in Kochi recently.
Tharoor has also sent messages to key party functionaries, including party general secretaries K C Venugopal and Deepa Das Munshi (AICC in-charge Kerala), pointing out the “mistreatment” meted out to him.
Tharoor’s statements and articles had invited sharp criticism from Congress leaders at the national and state levels in the recent past.
A row had erupted last year over his comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and the diplomatic outreach after the Pahalgam attack. His comments were at variance with the Congress stand and many party leaders took a swipe at him, questioning his intentions.
Tharoor has, however, maintained that on foreign policy there is no variance in stance and there must be bipartisanship.
Kharge is set to chair a key meeting of the party here on Friday with Kerala leaders to fine tune the party strategy for the assembly polls. (Agencies)
