The Tharoorian Saga: A Journey through rough waters

Thiruvananthapuram: The distance Shashi Tharoor traversed from the time when he contested for the United Nations Secretary-General in 2006 to the post of the President of the Indian National Congress in 2022 is long, tough and amazing.

The three-term MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor achieved a magical number even at defeat in the presidential election. He has surprised his counterparts and opponents in the party at the same time.

Bagging around 12 per cent of votes from Pradesh Congress Committees across the country was not an easy job for Tharoor when his opponent Mallikarjun Kharge had the blessings and support of the Gandhi family and all the national and state level leaders.

But in the end, he proved himself before the Gandhi family.

The unprecedented support he bagged from Kerala has even sent shock waves across the state leadership. Tharoor found unlikely friends among the young leaders here. A few openly supported him, while others silently stood with him.

For Tharoor, the journey was a tough one and of fatalism. In 2009, when the High Command decided to field him from the Thiruvananthapuram parliament seat, it was a surprise for every Congressman. At that time, while some stood with the High Command's decision, others strongly opposed Tharoor's entry to Thiruvananthapuram.

Many of the ticket seekers had to keep their mouths shut, as High Command was unswayed. In all three parliament elections – 2009, 2014 and 2019- Shashi Tharoor had to face stiff opposition more from within the party than outside. In 2009, the rivals in the party were forced to work for Tharoor's victory, setting aside their rivalry, when the High Command frowned at them.

But in 2014, Tharoor's margin of victory declined. In 2019, Tharoor was forced to turn to Rahul Gandhi for help as some influential leaders in the constituency worked against him. Tharoor asked for Rahul's intervention personally as the former came for election campaigning in the capital city.

According to Tharoor camp, his victory over BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan in 2019 was made possible only with the help from the left quarters.

"Otherwise BJP could have been able to open their account in the parliament," said a close accomplice of Tharoor. "Tharoor had proved himself as one of the leaders who have a base in the Congress, a claim the group leaders strongly countered. But leaders like Hibi Eden, K.S. Sabarinathan, and M.K. Raghavan openly supported him. One DCC president and several state-level leaders also supported him," he added.

However, the workers and middle leaders who supported Tharoor and stood by him are sceptical even after his brilliant performance. Tharoor's unprecedented support had surprised all the groups in the state Congress.

"For the groups, their leaders' close affinity with Tharoor may be viewed as a betrayal of trust. So the leadership may try to bully the leaders. Those leaders who backed Tharoor could expect the consequences of extending their support, as Tharoor was not a favourite of the state leadership or the High Command," said a KPCC Executive member on request of anonymity to Madhyamam English Online.

According to the leader, it is unlikely that Tharoor may find himself in such a situation as the group leaders don't wish him to get more attention through their criticism. The challenge before the state Congress leadership is that after the presidential election Tharoor grew to the stature of a national leader.

It is not possible for the group leaders to ignore him as such when the Tharoor camp is said to be eyeing a place in the Congress Working Committee (CWC), which will be held soon. A senior leader from the state, Ramesh Chennithala is also trying to be included in the CWC.

But a place in the CWC would be a challenge for Tharoor. He had said in his interviews prior to the presidential election that if he was elected he would abolish the High Command culture. His remarks may turn a tool against him, who, say critics, himself was also a protégé of the High Command.

"How a man who was introduced into the politics through the High Command system could question it? All his achievements so far, as a three-time MP, and Central ministership were thanks to the High Command," said a Congress MP.

The middle-level leaders who supported and stood with him in the internal election also face challenges. It is unlikely that Tharoor would form his own group in Kerala as he didn't like to be known as a group leader. The leaders also don't want to desert the groups as they knew that it would be disastrous for their future.

Both A and I groups are counting the defectors. And the defectors are likely to return to their home groups until the new CWC get elected.