Rahul Gandhi's message of unity amid rift rumours, shares Kerala leaders' photo
Rahul Gandhi posted a photo from a press conference of Kerala Congress leaders following a meeting with the party’s leadership in Delhi on February 28.
Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday declared that Congress leaders in Kerala ‘stand as one’ and were ‘united’.
The Congress leader’s statement came amid speculation of an internal rift between the party and Shashi Tharoor.
Gandhi posted a photo from a press conference of Kerala Congress leaders following a meeting with the party’s leadership in Delhi on February 28.
"They stand as one, united by the light of purpose ahead," the Rae Bareli MP wrote in the caption. The hashtag 'Team Kerala' was also used.
The meeting was attended by Tharoor, Rahul Gandhi, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary K C Venugopal, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kerala unit chief K Sudhakaran, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader of the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan, party's Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi.
The Congress reportedly issued a stern warning to all its leaders, saying that strict disciplinary action would be taken against those making statements that deviate from the party's stance, reported India Today.
Gandhi said at the almost three-hour-long meeting that leaders should be very careful about their political strategy and should not do or say anything that does not abide by the party line, the channel added.
What did Shashi Tharoor say about the rift rumours?
The meeting came amid a rumoured rift between the Kerala Congress and Shashi Tharoor. The state unit was reportedly unhappy with the Thiruvananthapuram MP’s praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit and the Left-led Kerala government’s policies in the state.
Tharoor denied the rumours of the reported rift, saying that he is yet to ‘understand the controversy’. He said that the podcast was about life and pursuits of happiness.
"You all heard the podcast, what was the controversy about? I still haven't understood the controversy...now that you have heard the whole podcast, can you tell me what your question is, I am happy to respond. It is a podcast, a 45-minute conversation about life and pursuits of Happiness, nothing there much about any political controversy,” Tharoor told the media.