Signalling an end to the row over Thiruvanathapuram MP Shashi Tharoor’s ‘praise’ for the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala, the state Congress unit has dismissed reports of a rift and asserted that the party is united.
The statement was made, with Mr Tharoor by her side, on Friday by Congress’ Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi after the party brass held a long brainstorming meeting with leaders from the state unit ahead of the Assembly elections in the state next year.
The meeting came a day after the four-time Thiruvanathapuram MP and former Union minister slammed sections of the media for interpreting his statement that he had multiple “options to spend my time” to mean that he had political options apart from the Congress.
Speaking to NDTV after the meeting, Ms Dasmunshi said, “What Shashi Tharoor ji has clarified has been done in a very straight manner and there is no confusion on that. I don’t know why you all always take Shashi Tharoor’s name… It has been told generally to everyone that action will be taken against anyone crossing the party line and saying something that goes against the party.”
“Because there is a controversy by the media and by the translation of what he said… I will say there is no one in the Kerala unit of the party who is pro-Left Democratic Front (LDF) or pro-BJP. Everyone is fighting against (them) and fighting unitedly,” she added.
A similar message was also given by senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala. “Everybody will be united and fight for the people of Kerala as the state government has failed on all fronts. We will fight and a (Congress-led) United Democratic front will come to power in 2026,” he said.
Apart from leaders from Kerala, including Mr Tharoor and state Congress chief K Sudhakaran, the brainstorming meeting – which went on for nearly three hours – was also attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, General Secretary KC Venugopal, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi.
In a post on X, Mr Kharge shared photos and videos from the meeting and said that the people of Kerala will defeat both the “oppressive and communal” fronts in the state.
“Change is inevitable in Kerala. Congress has built the development paradigm and welfare model of Kerala, and we will do everything possible to bring our UDF to power. Next year, people will defeat both the oppressive and communal fronts in the state. We held a meeting of @INCKerala leaders where we deliberated on our political strategy and the future of the state,” he wrote.
Sparking Controversy
Earlier this month, Mr Tharoor came under fire from some Congress leaders for praising PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, where he met President Donald Trump, saying it had led to some positive outcomes for Indians.
He then wrote an article in an English daily in which he was seen as praising the performance of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government in some sectors. While some in the Congress slammed the remarks, Chief Minister Vijayan said they were proof of his government’s achievements.
Defending his remarks on PM Modi, Mr Tharoor had said that he could not “always speak in terms of party interest”. On the article, the MP said he was focusing on the startup sector in Kerala, the seeds for which were sown by the Congress-led government under Oommen Chandy.
“As a Member of Parliament from Kerala, I wrote this article focusing on a specific issue — the transformation of the industrial landscape through the growth of the startup sector. As a Congress worker, I take pride in acknowledging that it was former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who initiated this change,” he said.
