Tharoor meets Rahul, Kharge; says all issues resolved

Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi for two hours on Thursday, in what appears to be a reconciliation effort after recent tensions within the party.

"Issues are sorted out," Tharoor told The Indian Express after the meeting at Kharge's office in Parliament House.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of Tharoor skipping a crucial All India Congress Committee (AICC) meeting with top party leaders from Kerala in Delhi last week. The meeting was convened to firm up strategies for the upcoming Assembly polls. While state Congress leaders downplayed his absence, it fueled speculation about his strained relationship with the party leadership.

Sources said Tharoor was upset over being sidelined and once again felt unwanted in a party he once aspired to lead.

According to sources, Gandhi did most of the talking during the meeting and assured Tharoor that he is crucial to the party's prospects in Kerala. "He insisted that the party needs Tharoor and that he should campaign for the (Congress-led) UDF in Kerala for the assembly election. He has assured him that Tharoor will be kept in the loop for all the major party decisions in Kerala. Rahul ji told him that the Congress has to work together and win Kerala," a source said.

Tharoor spoke in detail about issues he has been facing within the party. He specifically mentioned the "insult" he felt at the recent grand mahapanchayat in Kochi, which was inaugurated by Gandhi last week. Gandhi took the names of several party leaders on the dais while beginning his speech but skipped Tharoor's name. Sources said Tharoor had conveyed his displeasure to AICC Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunsi and Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal.

"Gandhi asked him to forget what happened so far. He said it is important for the Congress to win Kerala, and everyone should work together. Tharoor is important for the party, and the party leadership is conscious of his contributions," a source said, adding that it was Venugopal who facilitated Thursday's meeting.

After the meeting, Tharoor appeared positive. "We had a discussion with my two party leaders, with the LOP and Congress president. We had a very good, constructive discussion. All is good, and we are moving forward together on the same page," he said.

Asked if there was a discussion on the chief ministerial candidate for Kerala, Tharoor said: "No. That was never the issue. Frankly, I am not interested in being a candidate for anything. I am an MP, and I have the trust of voters in Parliament. That is my job."

Tharoor and the Congress leadership, both at the national level and in Kerala, have not been on the same page on many issues, often fueling speculation about his future in the party and creating the perception that he may be emerging as a rebel.

However, Tharoor is an important asset for the party as it gears up for the Assembly polls in Kerala. Of the states headed for Assembly elections over the next few months, Kerala is the only one where the embattled Congress has a realistic chance of winning. While the party is a minor player in Tamil Nadu, it is a fringe force in West Bengal. The electoral battle in Assam, Congress leaders admit, is going to be an uphill task.