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Earlier, Tharoor appreciated the work being done by the Kerala government. PM Modi had also picked him as a Swachh Bharat ambassador. Tharoor has made it clear that he is a staunch Congress leader, but refuses to break silence over the picture
Shashi Tharoor’s picture with Piyush Goyal (Centre) and Jonathan Reynolds. (X)
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s English and his politics, both have been lost in translation. The trouble began, and also the speculation, when Tharoor appreciated the work being done by the Kerala government.
This, as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is getting ready to unseat the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the next polls.
This has not gone down well with the Kerala unit of the Congress. Nothing new. The Congress in Kerala has always looked at Tharoor as an outsider. Someone who has not grown from the party from the grassroots, a former diplomat, speaking suave English, many complained that he would not click in Kerala. But he did.
A four-time Member of Parliament (MP), Tharoor has an appeal beyond his party. The PM had announced him as one of the brand ambassadors of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. For those who don’t trust Tharoor in the party, this was flaunted as proof that he was cosying up to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Good to exchange words with Jonathan Reynolds, Britain’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade, in the company of his Indian counterpart, Commerce & Industry Minister @PiyushGoyal. The long-stalled FTA negotiations have been revived, which is most welcome pic.twitter.com/VmCxEOkzc2— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 25, 2025
If there was any doubt in the minds of the cynics and opponents of Tharoor, it was removed when Tharoor was one of the signatories of the G23 letter and also when he decided to contest for the post of Congress president against Mallikarjun Kharge. He lost by over 1,000 votes, but made his point that he had support within the party and that he was very much an insider.
But this contest managed to sow the seeds of doubt in the mind of the top leaders of the Congress, and Congress in Kerala is up in arms against him.
While Tharoor has made it clear that he is a staunch Congress leader, the man himself refuses to break his silence. But the pictures tell the story. Just a few hours after the controversy, Tharoor, while tweeting in support of Priyanka Vadra over her letter to the PM asking for special funds for Wayanad, put out a picture showing himself with commerce minister Piyush Goyal at an event in Delhi.
#WATCH | Bengaluru, Karnataka: On PM Narendra Modi’s US visit, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, “So far, what we have seen from the press statements by the Prime Minister and President Trump are very encouraging. Some of the big concerns we all had have been addressed. On the… pic.twitter.com/833RLo9Jsd— ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2025
Politics and the game is heating up for the Congress in Kerala with the elections next year. Some, like KC Venugopal, are believed to be one of the frontrunners for the CM post in case the Congress wins. Many others in the party want Tharoor out. But that may not be an easy one. Tharoor has huge social media traction. He has extended his footprint in the state beyond Thiruvananthapuram. He feels left out.
But a Tharoor out of the Congress would mean that those who accuse the Congress of not being able to look beyond the Gandhis will be proved right.
As for Tharoor, mum’s the word. He prefers the kerfuffle (a Tharoor word) or the ruckus to die down.
