Congress vs Tharoor: MP skips party’s key huddle; cites travel hurdle

NEW DELHI: The feud between Shashi Tharoor and the Congress saw a new high after he skipped the party's key huddle a day before the start of the Winter Session of Parliament.

Chaired by Sonia Gandhi, the Congress on Sunday held a strategic group meeting to discuss the party's strategy for the Winter Session.




Tharoor, however, clarified that he did not intentionally skip the Congress huddle, claiming that he was on a flight returning from Kerala when the meeting took place.

"I did not skip it; I was on a plane, coming from Kerala," Tharoor said.

Additionally, Tharoor's office said that "he was travelling with his 90-year-old mother from Kerala, making it impossible for him to reach Delhi in time."

"Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal was also unable to attend due to his engagements in local body election campaigning in Kerala," his office added.

This comes just days after the Thiruvananthapuram MP missed a Congress meeting on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue earlier, citing ill health. However, he attended a government event addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day later, triggering questions from several Congress leaders.

Meanwhile, Tharoor added more to the controversy after he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post, drawing flak from Congress leaders.

"Shashi Tharoor's problem is that I don't think he knows a lot about the country... If, according to you, someone is doing good for the country by going against the Congress's policies, then you should follow those policies... Why are you in Congress?" Congress leader Sandeep Dixit said while talking to news agency ANI.

"Is it only because you are an MP? ... If you really feel that the BJP or PM Modi's strategies are working better than the party you are in, then you should give an explanation. If you are not giving one, you are a hypocrite," he added.

Tharoor’s relationship with the Congress leadership has been under strain since he contested the party president election against Mallikarjun Kharge.

The friction reportedly intensified when his name did not appear on the list of Congress leaders suggested for the Union government's Operation Sindoor outreach.

Despite this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi later invited Tharoor to lead a delegation to the United States and other countries in the Americas. Tharoor's public statements, including those interpreted as favourable towards the Prime Minister, have also caused discomfort within the Congress.

The rift came into sharper focus following his recent remarks and social media posts that appeared to challenge the party’s leadership.
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