If the party does not need me, there are options available’, Shashi Tharoor showed his attitude to Congress

Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor. (PTI Photo)

Shashi Tharoor’s recent remarks are important because he first praised the policies of the Kerala government and then Prime Minister Narendra Modi for meeting US President Donald Trump, which the Congress did not like. He also raised questions about the party leadership in Kerala.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has come under fire from his own party for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government in Kerala. Meanwhile, Tharoor hit back, saying that he is available for the party, but warned that if the party does not need his services, he has other options as well. Speaking in a podcast of Indian Express Malayalam (IE Malayalam), Shashi Tharoor, however, denied rumours of changing the party. He said that even though there are differences of opinion, he is not thinking of leaving the Congress.

Tharoor’s recent remarks are important because he first praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the policies of the Kerala government and then for meeting US President Donald Trump, which the Congress did not like. He also raised questions about the party leadership in Kerala. After this, when asked about praising the party, Shashi Tharoor said that he does not think like a politician and his views are not so narrow.

He called on the Congress to increase its voter base in Kerala to add new voters to the party. The 67-year-old leader claimed that other Congress leaders supported his views that the party’s Kerala unit needs a good leader. He cited opinion polls conducted by independent organizations, which showed that Tharoor is the first choice of Congress supporters to lead the party in the state.

Shashi Tharoor, a four-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram, warned the Congress that if the party does not increase its voter base in Kerala, it will sit in the opposition for the third consecutive time in Kerala, where assembly elections are due next year. Tharoor on Saturday shared excerpts from English poet Thomas Gray’s poem, ‘Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College’ from his X handle, which read, ‘Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise’. He captioned his post, ‘Thought for the day!’

Rahul Gandhi had summoned Shashi Tharoor to Delhi

Rahul Gandhi had summoned Shashi Tharoor to Delhi on February 18 after a controversy erupted over his article praising the LDF government of Kerala. When asked about the meeting by media persons, the Thiruvananthapuram MP had said that he could not give more details about the closed-door talks. Tharoor had said that during the meeting with Rahul Gandhi, there was no discussion about the upcoming Kerala assembly elections or the role of the party’s state leadership.
Kerala Congress and other opposition leaders of the state had outright rejected Tharoor’s laudatory views about the LDF government. When asked about the criticism of Kerala Congress leaders over his article, Tharoor had said that he could not understand the reason for the controversy. Journalists had asked Shashi Tharoor whether he had complained about being sidelined in the party at the Kerala and national level during his meeting with Rahul Gandhi? Responding to this, Tharoor said, ‘I have never complained against anyone.’

Shashi Tharoor had said that the controversy over my article praising the Left Front government in Kerala for investment-friendly policies and startup initiatives has done some good. Because it opened up the scope for discussion on this issue. He had said, ‘For the last 16 years I have been talking about unemployment and the migration of Kerala youth to other countries due to lack of favorable policies to promote startups and entrepreneurship in the state.’ Tharoor also clarified that he had praised PM Modi for his recent meeting with Trump in the larger interest of India. The Congress MP had said that he cannot always speak only in terms of party interest.