THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As Shashi Tharoor continues to march to the beat of his own drum with repeated controversial statements, there is a growing feeling within both the Congress and the UDF that enough is enough. However, the state Congress leadership has conspicuously decided not to succumb to any provocation on the part of Tharoor which might ultimately give a political edge to the four-time Thiruvananthapuram MP.
“If Tharoor wants to leave the Congress, let him do so,” a senior UDF leader said on condition of anonymity. “He has become ambitious and opportunistic. I think if he leaves the party it will be good for both the Congress and the UDF. There was a time when we thought that he could become a consensus candidate for chief minister if the power struggle between some leaders in the party continued unabated. At this point, we cannot even think about it,” he told TNIE.
Speaking on a podcast of The Indian Express, Tharoor said the Congress cannot hope to win the 2026 assembly election with its committed vote bank, and would need outside support. “In Thiruvananthapuram, my appeal was above party politics and I got the support from people who did not like Congress. That is what we want in 2026. If Congress gets only its committed voters’ votes in 2026, we will sit in the opposition,” he said.
Tharoor said some Congress leaders share his views. “Even some of the UDF partners have told me so. People like the way I talk and behave. Opinion polls conducted by independent agencies show that I am ahead of other leaders. If the party wants to use it I will be there. If not, I will look for other options. I have time to utilise other options,” he added.
This seems to be a reiteration of a statement Tharoor made two years ago in an interview to TNIE, as part of its Express Dialogues series. “I am seriously examining all the options that are available to me in the present situation... if the party were to give me the ticket to contest the [Thiruvananthapuram] seat again [in the 2024 general election], that would be one option. And there are other options, and I will have to weigh all the other options in my mind,” he had said.
This is the second time in two weeks that Tharoor has punched the Congress below the belt. In an opinion piece published in TNIE on February 14, he praised the economic growth achieved by Kerala under the CPM-led LDF government. Though state Congress leaders came down heavily on Tharoor, the AICC leadership intervened. Rahul Gandhi even invited Tharoor for a discussion. However, Tharoor refused to climb down from his stance.
However, the state Congress leadership seems to have smelt a rat this time around, and has decided not to issue any statement that could pave the way for the CWC leader to act more aggressively.
“We have decided not to respond to Tharoor’s statements,” CWC member Ramesh Chennithala told TNIE. “Local body elections are round the corner. We are here to work for the unity of the party. We have to win the election,” he said.
The IUML, the second largest partner in the UDF, is not happy with the developments. “We’d like to see these controversies coming to end very soon. We have already conveyed this to them,” a senior IUML leader said. Party president Sadiq Ali Thangal asked the Congress to take the issue seriously. “It is the responsibility of the Congress, which leads the UDF, to resolve any issues,” he said.
There is confusion among a section of young leaders who have been supporting Tharoor. Many of them expressed surprise at his latest move. “This was least expected from him. We are of the view that he should not make any statements that would hurt the feelings of the ordinary worker,” a young MLA told TNIE.
Sudhakarn warns tharoor
KPCC president K Sudhakaran warned Tharoor against going too far. “It is not right for him to make an open statement. I have always supported him and will do so in the future. He is a CWC leader. The national leadership must look into the issue,” he said.