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Shashi Tharoor downplays rift rumours with Congress: ‘What was the controversy?’
Tharoor's remarks come as the Congress has called a meeting of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul Gandhi with the leaders from Kerala on Friday.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday downplayed the reported rift between him and the party, saying that he is yet to ‘understand the controversy’.
Tharoor's remarks come as the Congress has called a meeting of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi with the leaders from Kerala on Friday.
"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.
He also pointed out that a meeting of the party has been called for Friday and confirmed his presence for the same.
“A meeting of the party has been called on Friday, I will be there with everyone else," he said.
The development comes after Tharoor's recent appearance in a podcast where he said he had other options if the Congress party didn't need his leadership.
The rumoured rift between Shashi Tharoor and the Congress
The rumours of a rift between Shashi Tharoor and the Congress started when the Thiruvananthapuram MP praised Kerala's LDF government in an article. He had also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US and his meeting with President Donald Trump.
Kerala Congress criticised Tharoor for his remarks on the CPI(M) led government. Tharoor reportedly met with Rahul Gandhi and asked him to specify his role in the Kerala Congress. He then made an appearance on a podcast and talked about his options if Congress doesn't need him anymore.
“If the party wants to use that, I will be there for the party. If not, I have my own things to do. You should not think that I have no other option. I have my books, speeches, invitations from across the world to give a talk,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying.
Tharoor also gave his inputs on what the party needs to do to win next year's assembly elections in the state, saying that it needs to bring in voters who don't generally vote for the party. He pointed out the ‘lack of leadership’ in the Kerala unit of the Congress.
