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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said he has some ‘issues’ with the party which he would take up with the leadership, but asserted that he has never violated the organisation’s stated positions in Parliament.
IMAGE: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
Any internal differences should be discussed within the organisation and not through the media, he said.
His remarks come amid reports that Tharoor is upset over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi not adequately acknowledging his presence at a recent event in Kochi and over alleged repeated attempts by state party leaders to sideline him.
Key Points
- Shashi Tharoor said he has never violated the Congress’ stated positions in Parliament, except for a principled disagreement over Operation Sindoor.
- He said terror attacks should not go unpunished but without dragging India into prolonged conflict with Pakistan.
- Tharoor stressed that national interest and security must override party differences.
“All I can say is that there are issues which I need to take up with my own party leadership and not in a public forum…I will be going to Delhi for Parliament and I will get an opportunity, I believe, to make my concerns very clear to the party leadership and get their viewpoint… have a proper conversation.”
“I am in Congress for the past 17 years. Let’s not go too far…as far as I am concerned, whatever has gone wrong, needs to be addressed and it will be addressed in an appropriate forum,” he told PTI Videos.
Speaking to reporters in Kozhikode, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said he had informed the Congress leadership about his inability to attend a party meeting.
He said that some reports about him might be true, while others could be false.
Tharoor explained that he wanted to attend a literature festival and that continuous travel was difficult.
“However, I will certainly attend all party activities in Parliament, and at that time I can meet the party leadership,” he said.
Tharoor mum on ‘unfair treatment’ in party
Responding to a question on alleged unfair treatment at a party event in Kochi, Tharoor said he would not comment on it.
He also said that he wanted to exhibit his book on Sree Narayana Guru at the literature festival.
Recalling an earlier instance, he said he had once been unable to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival due to a political engagement.
Earlier, answering questions during a session at the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode, Tharoor said he had taken a strong stand on ‘Operation Sindoor’ and remained ‘unapologetic’, about it.
Explaining his position, Tharoor said that as an observer, commentator and writer, he had written a newspaper column after the Pahalgam terror attack, stating that it should not go unpunished and that there should be a kinetic response.
He said that while India is focused on development, it should not be dragged into a prolonged conflict with Pakistan, and that any action should be limited to targeting terrorist camps.
Tharoor said that to his surprise, the Indian government did exactly what he had recommended.
“How could I be expected to criticise it when I myself recommended it. I supported it fully throughout Operation Sindoor and afterwards,” he said.
When the government sent him abroad as part of a multi-party delegation over Operation Sindoor, his party, for some reason, did not like it.
“You can speak to them and find out,” he said
India comes first when nation’s security is at stake: Tharoor
Tharoor said it was Jawaharlal Nehru who posed the famous question: “Who lives if India dies.”
“When India is at stake, when India’s security and its place in the world are involved, India comes first,” he said.
He added that political parties may have differences as part of the process of building a better India, but when national interests are involved, India must prevail.
Terrorists had gunned down 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam in April 2025, sending shockwaves across the country. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, a precision military offensive targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that Tharoor continues to be an integral part of the party and that he had informed the leadership in advance about his inability to attend the party meeting.
“He is not someone who stays away from party programmes. He had informed the party about the reasons for not attending the meeting,” Chennithala said.
He said that unlike him, Tharoor is not only a politician but also a writer and author who is engaged at the international level.
“He is not a full-time party worker. He is also a writer and a public speaker who is engaged in events in India and abroad. We are full-time party workers and can give priority to party events,” he said.
Chennithala said that no one could distance Tharoor from the party.
Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph also said that Tharoor had informed the party leadership about his absence in advance and that no controversy should be created over his absence.
