New Delhi: Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi on Friday held a discussion here with senior party leaders of Kerala on election preparations. But what captured the eyeballs was the conspicuous absence of Congress Working Committee member Shashi Tharoor at the gathering.
His absence is being seen in political circles in the context of Rahul Gandhi "ignoring" Tharoor at last week's party conference in Kochi, something that had become headlines. Gandhi, while starting his speech in Kochi by taking names of AICC general secretaries, PCC-CLP leaders and CWC members from Kerala present on the stage, also didn't mention Tharoor's name. Local TV channels went to town saying Gandhi and Tharoor didn't have any meaningful interaction on the stage.
Tharoor's absence at the Delhi meeting triggered chatter in political circles, linking it to the 'chill' in Kochi. Tharoor spent the day attending a literature festival in Kerala. Ironically, the chill at the Kochi meeting came when senior Kerala Congress leaders and Tharoor had barely revived their bonhomie in the runup to the state polls after many months of uneasiness, especially after Tharoor attended the post Operation Sindoor global outreach. It is also no secret that Tharoor's popularity among the masses besides his accomplishments as an orator and author have always been a cause of uneasiness for some party leaders both in Delhi and Kerala.
Most Congress MLAs of Kerala are likely to contest the assembly polls while sitting party MPs will be discouraged from doing so. Meanwhile, Kharge said in a social media post that the people of Kerala "are yearning for a change" and that the Congress-led UDF will ensure progressive governance in the state.
His absence is being seen in political circles in the context of Rahul Gandhi "ignoring" Tharoor at last week's party conference in Kochi, something that had become headlines. Gandhi, while starting his speech in Kochi by taking names of AICC general secretaries, PCC-CLP leaders and CWC members from Kerala present on the stage, also didn't mention Tharoor's name. Local TV channels went to town saying Gandhi and Tharoor didn't have any meaningful interaction on the stage.
Tharoor's absence at the Delhi meeting triggered chatter in political circles, linking it to the 'chill' in Kochi. Tharoor spent the day attending a literature festival in Kerala. Ironically, the chill at the Kochi meeting came when senior Kerala Congress leaders and Tharoor had barely revived their bonhomie in the runup to the state polls after many months of uneasiness, especially after Tharoor attended the post Operation Sindoor global outreach. It is also no secret that Tharoor's popularity among the masses besides his accomplishments as an orator and author have always been a cause of uneasiness for some party leaders both in Delhi and Kerala.
Most Congress MLAs of Kerala are likely to contest the assembly polls while sitting party MPs will be discouraged from doing so. Meanwhile, Kharge said in a social media post that the people of Kerala "are yearning for a change" and that the Congress-led UDF will ensure progressive governance in the state.
