The internal rift within the Kerala unit of the Congress party widened over the weekend as senior leader K Muraleedharan publicly declared that fellow Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor is “no longer one of us.”

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Muraleedharan, a senior face of the Congress in Kerala, took an uncompromising stand against Tharoor’s recent remarks that were seen as aligning too closely with the central government’s position on national security.

“Till he (Tharoor) changes his stance, we will not invite him to any party programme held in Thiruvananthapuram. He is not with us, so there is no question of him boycotting an event,” Muraleedharan said.

He further clarified that while Tharoor remains a member of the Congress Working Committee, his statements have created confusion and discomfort within the party ranks.

Muraleedharan added that the party’s national leadership would decide what action, if any, needs to be taken against Tharoor.

Tharoor stands his ground

The comments come days after Tharoor, speaking at an event in Kochi on Saturday, had said, “Which is your first loyalty? To my mind, the nation comes first. Parties are a means of making the nation better. So to my mind, whichever party you belong to, the objective of that party is to create a better India in its own way.”

Referring to recent incidents at the border and the central government’s handling of them, Tharoor said, “A lot of people have been very critical of me because of my stand supporting the armed forces and the central government in connection with what happened recently in the country and its borders.”

“But I will stand my ground, because I believe this is the right thing for the country,” he added.

“When people like me call for cooperating with other parties in the interests of national security, their parties feel that it's disloyal to them, and that becomes a big problem”, Tharoor said.

Reacting to Muraleedharan’s remark that he is no longer considered “one of us,” Tharoor, the three-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram, said, “People saying this also have to have a basis of saying this... who are they? What is their party position... I would like to know. Don’t ask me to explain other people’s behaviour... you talk to them about their behaviour. I can only talk about my own behaviour,” he told reporters.

An old friction

This is not the first time the two leaders have clashed. Last month, Muraleedharan had criticised Tharoor for sharing a survey that projected him as the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) most preferred Chief Ministerial candidate. At the time, Muraleedharan had remarked that Tharoor should “first decide which party he belongs to.”

Tharoor’s perceived proximity to centrist and bipartisan positions has long been a point of unease within segments of the Kerala Congress.

As of now, the Congress high command has not issued any statement addressing the growing rift.