New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: In a development being closely watched within political circles, senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor on Thursday held a closed-door meeting with Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, amid continuing reports of his unhappiness with the party’s functioning.
Tharoor arrived at the Lok Sabha complex around 11 a.m. and was first seen entering the House, where he briefly sat beside his Kerala colleague M.K. Raghavan and engaged in conversation.
Minutes later, at around 11.15 a.m., Tharoor walked into Kharge’s chamber.
Rahul Gandhi joined the meeting soon after.
When discussions began, party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, who was present in the room, exited shortly thereafter, leaving Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Tharoor alone.
The closed-door meeting lasted for nearly two hours, adding to its political significance given the backdrop of speculation surrounding Tharoor’s differences with sections of the party leadership.
Tharoor emerged from Kharge’s room at around 1.15 p.m., appearing visibly relaxed.
Addressing waiting media persons, he sought to downplay any sense of discord.
“You need not have any worry,” Tharoor said with a smile. “We had a meeting, and all of us said what we needed to say. We are all on the same page now.”
The senior leader’s remarks were seen as an attempt to signal unity at a time when the Congress is seeking to consolidate its leadership narrative ahead of key political battles, including the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.
Asked whether he would actively take part in the Congress campaign for the Assembly polls, Tharoor responded in the affirmative. “I will be there”, he said, adding that he has commitments towards his voters.
The comment appeared to reaffirm his continued engagement with the party’s political programme in the state.
While the Congress leadership maintained silence on the content of the discussions, the timing, duration and composition of the meeting underline the importance the party attaches to addressing internal concerns, particularly involving a high-profile leader like Tharoor, whose standing extends beyond Kerala and into the national political and diplomatic space.
The meeting is likely to calm immediate speculation, even as it reinforces Tharoor’s centrality within the Congress at a politically sensitive moment.
(IANS)
