Congress MPs from Kerala are Jubilant over Shashi Tharoor’s reported patch up with party high command. No longer be a dissident leader. Speculations are that Tharoor may soon head party manifesto committee for Kerala assembly elections.
Speculation grows over Shashi Tharoor’s role in Kerala polls
New Delhi: Ever since the Budget Session began on January 28, there has been an upbeat mood among Congress MPs from Kerala, where Assembly polls are scheduled in April this year. The Kerala MPs are relieved and relaxed over the Shashi Tharoor “factor,” which had been bothering them for quite some time.
The high-profile, four-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, is said to have patched up with the Congress high command. Last Thursday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi invited Tharoor for tea, and the outcome of the meeting is said to have been positive.
There is speculation within the party that Tharoor may soon head the manifesto committee to help the party in the coming polls. Tharoor does not maintain any group in the state and is popular among all sections, particularly the youth. His intellectual stature, knowledge, and communication skills have a strong impact across sections of society. The ruling CPM in the state tried to win him over to their side. So did the BJP at the national level.
An erudite scholar, Tharoor holds his own views on various issues and speaks his mind without realising that his words sometimes go against the party line. Over the years, Tharoor got isolated and sidelined. Though he got elected to the Lok Sabha for a fourth time, he did not maintain any group.
The major group in the state is led by MP and AICC General Secretary in charge of party organisation, K C Venugopal, who is said to be close to Rahul Gandhi. Another group in the state is led by CLP (Congress Legislature Party) leader V D Satheeshan. The third group is led by former Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.
Presently, Tharoor heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. It may be recalled that long ago, Tharoor ran for the position of United Nations Secretary-General, where he finished second to Ban Ki-moon. In 2023, Tharoor fought the AICC presidential election against Mallikarjun Kharge to emerge as a principal dissident leader within the Congress party.
He shares a good equation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had nominated Tharoor to lead parliamentary delegations across the world, projecting India’s case after Operation Sindoor.
