Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday sought to put to rest speculation over his equation with the party leadership, using a public expression of thanks to Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to signal unity after a closed-door meeting in Parliament complex.
In a social media post issued after the interaction, Tharoor described the discussion as “warm and constructive”, thanking Kharge and Rahul Gandhi for talks “on a wide range of subjects” and asserting that the leadership was “all on the same page” as the party moves forward “in the service of the people of India”.
The message was widely read as an attempt to draw a clear line under recent reports of his unhappiness with aspects of the party’s functioning. The post followed a nearly two-hour meeting between Tharoor, Kharge and Rahul Gandhi at Parliament House, a development that had drawn considerable attention within political circles.
Tharoor arrived at the Lok Sabha complex around 11 a.m. and was briefly seen in the House conversing with fellow Kerala MP M.K. Raghavan before proceeding to Kharge’s chamber at around 11.15 a.m. Rahul Gandhi joined soon after. Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, who was initially present, exited the room shortly after the discussions began, leaving the three leaders to continue their talks in private.
Tharoor emerged from the meeting at around 1.15 p.m., appearing visibly relaxed. Addressing mediapersons waiting outside, Tharoor played down suggestions of discord. “We had a meeting, and all of us said what we needed to say. We are all on the same page now,” he said.
Asked whether he would actively participate in the Congress campaign for the forthcoming Kerala Assembly elections, Tharoor responded in the affirmative, reiterating his commitment to his voters and the party’s political programme in the State.
Tharoor’s public articulation of consensus on two occasions, first after the meeting and then through his social media post, is expected to calm immediate speculation and reinforce a message of cohesion at a politically sensitive moment for the party, both in Kerala and nationally.