Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is set to skip a key strategy meeting of the party for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections on Friday, with sources saying he is upset over Rahul Gandhi not properly acknowledging his presence at a recent event and what he perceives as repeated attempts by state leaders to “sideline” him.
According to sources, while a series of developments had contributed to his disappointment, the immediate trigger was Rahul not mentioning him at the ‘Maha Panchayath’ held in Kochi on January 19 to felicitate local body poll winners.
Rahul acknowledged other senior leaders on the dais by name but did not refer to Tharoor, a four-time MP and one of the three Congress Working Committee members from Kerala, despite his presence on stage, they said.
Tharoor’s office, however, said he has informed the party of his inability to attend the meeting due to prior commitments at the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode.
Sources close to the leader said he is deeply unhappy with the treatment meted out to him, especially after differences within the party were believed to have been resolved during the Wayanad meetings held on the sidelines of the Lakshya 2026 leadership camp organised by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee to chalk out strategies for the state polls.
After that conclave, Tharoor had said that he had never deviated from the party line.
There was no official reaction from the Congress on the issue.
At the Wayanad meetings, Kerala Congress leaders had given a united call to take on the LDF in the upcoming Assembly elections. An understanding was reportedly reached that Tharoor would not contest but would campaign across the state.
However, sources said differences within the state unit have resurfaced days later, with Tharoor appearing unhappy over how he was treated at the Kochi event.
Tharoor has also sent messages to key party functionaries, including general secretaries K C Venugopal and Deepa Das Munshi, the AICC in-charge for Kerala, flagging the “mistreatment” meted out to him.
In the recent past, Tharoor’s statements and articles have drawn sharp criticism from Congress leaders at both the national and state levels. A controversy had erupted last year over his comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and diplomatic outreach after the Pahalgam attack, which were seen as being at variance with the party’s stand. Several Congress leaders had publicly questioned his intentions.
Tharoor has, however, maintained that there is no variance in stance on foreign policy and that there must be bipartisanship.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is set to chair the meeting in Kerala on Friday with state leaders to fine-tune the party’s strategy for the Assembly elections.