KOZHIKODE: Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said on Saturday that he “skipped the Kerala leaders’ meeting with Congress high command to attend the Kerala Literature Festival” in Kozhikode. Breaking his silence over his absence from the meeting in Delhi, Tharoor told reporters that he had informed the party in advance as he was scheduled to release his book at the festival.
Dismissing reports that linked his absence to differences within the party, he said such reports carried only partial facts, adding that any issues he had would be discussed within the party. The Congress leader acknowledged that he had certain concerns and said he would raise them with the party leadership. He clarified that he had never violated the party’s stated positions in Parliament and stressed that differences of opinion within the organisation should be addressed internally and not through the media.
His remarks come amid reports suggesting that Tharoor was unhappy over senior leader Rahul Gandhi not acknowledging his presence at the KPCC-organised Mahapanchayat held in Kochi on January 19, as well as repeated attempts by state leaders to sideline him.
“There are some issues that I need to discuss with my party leadership. I believe I will get an opportunity to clarify my concerns and also understand the leadership’s point of view,” Tharoor said. The four-time MP is reportedly displeased over what he described as a lack of due consideration at the Mahapanchayat organised to honour Congress representatives who won local body polls.
According to reports, he conveyed his dissatisfaction to national general secretary K C Venugopal and Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunsi, stating that he was not accorded due importance despite being a member of the AICC working committee.