Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday strongly objected to recent reports of his meeting with party chief Mallikarjun Kharg and senior leader Rahul Gandhi.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjuin Kharge during a meeting with party leader Shashi Tharoor in New Delhi. (via @Shashitharur/X PTI Photo) (@shashitharur)Addressing the meeting held at Kharg’s chamber in the Sangsad Bhawan complex, Tharoor dismissed “fictitious accounts” of what was discussed in the meeting and said “only the comments have been made publicly”.
“I have read fictional accounts of who said what in my meeting with @INCIndia president @Kharge and Lok Sabha LoP @RahulGandhi. Let me emphasize that there were only three of us in the room, and none of us spoke to the media in such detail,” Tharoor said in a post on X.
Also read: ‘On the same page’: Shashi Tharoor on his meeting with Rahul Gandhi, Kharg
“My only comments have been made publicly; everything else is mere speculation. I condemn this kind of irresponsible journalism, which gives authentic reporting a bad name,” he added.
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Tharoor’s clarification came after several reports claimed that the meeting was sought by Tharoor over the Congress MP’s “lack of recognition” and “growing dissatisfaction” with what he claimed was “political space” within the party.
The meeting between Tharoor, Kharg and Gandhi lasted for over an hour and forty-five minutes at the Sangsad Bhawan complex. The meeting comes amid speculation about the relationship between Tharoor and the Congress leadership.
Earlier in the day, Tharoor reiterated that he was in the Congress and was not going anywhere. Talking about Rahul Gandhi, Tharoor said he is the leader who “opposes communalism.”
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“I can say that I will stay in the Congress and I am not going anywhere. I will be part of the election campaign (in Kerala) and work for the victory of the UDF,” Tharoor told reporters, according to PTI.
Kharge, Tharoor’s past comments on meeting GandhiAfter concluding the meeting with Kharg and Rahul Gandhi, Tharoor said he had a constructive and positive discussion.
“We have discussed with my two party leaders, LOP and Congress president. We had a very good, constructive, positive discussion. All is well and we are moving forward together on the same page. What more can I say,” Tharoor told reporters.
Asked if there was a discussion about the chief minister’s face for the Kerala elections, Tharoor said that the chief ministerial candidature was never an issue.
Also read: Shashi Tharoor dodges question on meeting Rahul Gandhi amid crackdown: ‘What’s so unusual?’
“I am not interested in being a candidate for anything. Right now I am already an MP, I have the trust of the voters of Thiruvananthapuram. I am interested in looking after them in Parliament, that is my job,” he said.
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The meeting comes ahead of the Kerala assembly elections to be held this year, which are crucial for the Congress as it seeks to wrest power from the Left after 10 years in opposition.
Last week, Tharoor skipped an important party meeting for the upcoming Kerala elections. Reports said that Tharoor was upset that Rahul Gandhi did not properly acknowledge his presence at a recent function and that state leaders repeatedly tried to “sideline” him.
