Tharoor skips Congress meet, had informed party of his unavailability: Report

Shashi Tharoor skipped a Congress meeting chaired by Rahul Gandhi, citing prior commitments.

Updated on: Dec 12, 2025, 13:15:15 IST

ANIPosted by Yamini C S

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Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor skipped the meeting of Congress LS MPs chaired by Rahul Gandhi. According to party sources Tharoor had already informed the party about his unavailability, another senior Congress leader and Chandigarh MP Manish Tiwari was also absent in the meeting.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said he was attending an event in Kolkata and later clarified his absence was due to travel with his mother. (File/PTI)

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According to Shashi Tharoor's X timeline he was at an event hosted by Prabha Khaitan Foundation in Kolkata last night.

Earlier, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on December 1 clarified that he did not intentionally skip the Congress strategic group meeting held a day earlier, stating that he was on a flight returning from Kerala when the meeting took place.

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Responding to questions on his absence, the Lok Sabha MP said, "I did not skip it; I was on a plane, coming from Kerala."

Tharoor's absence from the meeting, chaired by Sonia Gandhi to discuss the party's strategy for the Winter Session--had drawn attention within political circles, especially given that he had also missed the Congress meeting on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue earlier, citing ill health.

According to Tharoor's office, the MP was travelling with his 90-year-old mother on a later flight 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.

Tharoor had also invited the ire of his party colleagues when he was the lone Congress representative invited to attend the state banquet hosted by the President for visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera had taken a subtle jibe at Tharoor saying, "Everyone's conscience has a voice. When my leaders aren't invited, but I am, we should understand why the game is being played, who is playing the game, and why we shouldn't be part of it."

Tharoor's repeated absence from key party deliberations has become a point of discussion within the Congress.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.