Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has reiterated his commitment to the Congress, rejecting speculations of leaving the party. He gave this reply a day after meeting Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. Tharoor clarified that he will not only continue in the Congress but will also lead the United Democratic Front (UDF) campaign in the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Tharoor said, “I am in the Congress and am not going anywhere. I will be part of the Kerala campaign and will work for the victory of the UDF. I will be at the forefront leading the Congress in the coming Kerala Assembly elections.” He also expressed displeasure over repeated questions being raised on his loyalty and said, “Why am I being asked this question whether I will remain in the Congress or not? I will remain firmly with the Congress.”

During this, Tharoor openly praised Rahul Gandhi. “He is a leader with a clear political stand. He is a leader who opposes communalism,” he said. Tharoor also made it clear that the party’s official line is paramount for him, although in some circumstances he also has personal opinions. In his words, “I do not express any different opinion on matters on which the party’s stand is decided. In some situations I express my personal opinion. When I see good things to development, I put them forward.”

The senior leader said that his focus is on national issues rather than internal politics. “I want to speak for the country, not on the internal issues of politics. I have been saying this since 2009. No one has the right to oppose the official stand of the party.”

This reaction of Tharoor came after a long meeting with Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in the Parliament House complex. This meeting, which lasted for about an hour and 45 minutes, is being seen as an attempt to resolve mutual differences before the Kerala Assembly elections. After the meeting, Tharoor said, “We had discussions with both the leaders of my party, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Congress President. It was a very good, constructive and positive conversation. Everything is fine and we are moving forward on the same page.”

In recent times, there were reports of Tharoor being dissatisfied with the party leadership. It was reported that he was angry at the way he was treated at an event in Kochi and the attempts by some Kerala Congress leaders to marginalize him. Last week he also missed an important meeting to the strategy for Kerala elections. Earlier, his comments on India–Pakistan relations and diplomatic initiatives after the Pahalgam attack were considered to be at odds with the official line of the Congress, which had also sparked controversy within the party.

Amidst all this speculation, Tharoor’s latest statement is being seen as a clear political message to the Congress leadership and the Kerala unit, especially at a time when the assembly elections in the state are round the corner.

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