Shashi Tharoor stirs contemporary controversy by underlining ‘absence of a frontrunner in Kerala’s Congress’

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. File
| Photograph Credit score: ANI

Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor, MP, appeared to have ruffled his occasion’s feathers by purportedly underscoring the “absence of a frontrunner in Kerala’s Congress” in a newspaper interview printed from New Delhi on Sunday (February 23, 2025).

Arguably, Mr. Tharoor additionally appeared to advocate for his candidacy because the occasion’s chief forward of the 2026 Meeting polls, supposedly claiming within the interview that opinion polls from impartial businesses indicated he was “forward of others in management stakes in (the Congress) in Kerala.”

Mr. Tharoor additionally appeared to fireside a shot throughout the Congress management’s bows by “remarking” that he was “obtainable for the occasion” however had different “choices”, together with talking excursions and books, if Congress didn’t require his companies.

Mr. Tharoor additionally appeared to solid a pall of despondency over the State Congress’ management aspirations of wresting energy from the Left Democratic Entrance (LDF) within the 2026 Meeting polls by warning that the occasion would sit within the opposition for a 3rd consecutive time if it didn’t increase its base and acquire non-partisan political help, together with from sections historically against the United Democratic Entrance (UDF).

The newspaper reported that Mr. Tharoor claimed that politically non-partisan help, together with from Congress opponents, had spurred his fourth consecutive victory from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency in 2024. “That’s what we would like in 2026,” the newspaper acknowledged, attributing the quote to Mr. Tharoor.

Mr. Tharoor was but to disclaim the interview, which got here lower than every week after he earned the ire of the Congress management for “praising” the LDF authorities’s “success” within the start-up sector and the “ease of doing enterprise” local weather in Kerala.

The controversy culminated in a personal, one-on-one assembly with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, arguably resulting in lessening intra-party criticism of Mr. Tharoor.

Senior Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala hinted that Mr. Tharoor’s interview was doubtless politically superfluous because it was “given earlier than the CWC member met with Mr. Gandhi”.

Nevertheless, Mr. Chennithala’s bid to dial down the most recent controversy assailing Congress didn’t cease opposing alliances from scrambling to learn the political tea leaves in Mr. Tharoor’s interview.

A. Okay. Balan, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Celebration of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], informed The Hindu, Mr. Tharoor’s stance would give Congress’ “divided management sleepless nights”. Mr. Balan mentioned the “regrettable state of affairs” in Congress had impelled the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) management to complain to the excessive command. “IUML can’t threat sitting within the opposition for a 3rd consecutive time attributable to Congress’s failures”, he mentioned.

Mr. Balan additionally welcomed Mr Tharoor’s endorsement of Kerala’s improvement. Mr. Balan mentioned Mr. Tharoor had precisely mirrored the truth that LDF would return to energy for a 3rd consecutive time period within the 2026 Meeting polls.

In Thrissur, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Okay. Sudhakaran informed reporters that Mr. Tharoor had crossed a line. Nevertheless, he added that Mr. Tharoor was unlikely to boost to the CPI(M)‘s bait and abandon ship.

Professor Okay. V. Thomas, a former Congress chief and Kerala’s Particular Consultant in New Delhi, informed The Hindu that the Congress had sidelined Mr. Tharoor, a famend author and orator, each in Parliament and inside occasion committees.

He famous that Congress had remoted Mr. Tharoor and, beforehand, himself for advocating Kerala’s improvement, regardless of slender occasion politics.

“It’s untimely to say whether or not Mr. Tharoor’s political messaging will trigger a brand new churning in Kerala politics or have a bearing on Congress’s state of affairs”, he mentioned.