Shashi Tharoor posts selfie with Union minister amid growing rift with Congress
This photograph has further fuelled speculation about his future in the Congress, especially, after his recent 'You should not think I don't have any options...'
Amid reports of a growing rift between the Congress and its articulate Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor, the latter continued on his provocative path posting a selfie along with the Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal and British secretary of state for trade, Jonathan Reynolds.
This photograph has further fuelled speculation about his future in the Congress, especially, after his recent remark, "If the party wants me... I will be there. If not, I have my own things to do. You should not think I don't have any options..."
According to The Federal report, his comments stems from his growing dissullionment with the party's inability to leverage his strengths effectively.
His earlier praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kerala's entrepreneurial policies, has already caused unease in the Congress ranks. Though Tharoor has not complained about being "sidelined", his actions have sparked off concerns about the impact of his actions on the Kerala Congress. While some leaders in the Kerala Congress feel that he should be allowed to leave if he wants to.
Watch: Is Congress sidelining Shashi Tharoor? | Panel discussion
Tharoor's recent selfie
The latest red flag, however, comes in the form of the photograph Tharoor posted on his X page on Tuesday (February 25), in which Tharoor, who seems to be on a collision course with his party, said was taken after a discussion on the India-UK trade deal.
The photograph shows the smiling four-time MP from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram standing alongside Goyal, sporting a an even wider grin and Reynolds.
In the post, Tharoor said that it was good to exchange words with Jonathan Reynolds, Britain's secretary of state for business and trade, in the company of his Indian counterpart, commerce and industries minister Piyush Goyal. “The long-stalled FTA negotiations have been revived, which is most welcome," he added.
Praise for PM Modi
Tharoor, it seems, is at crosshairs with his party for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his US visit and for applauding the Kerala Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s industrial policy.
After United States President Donald Trump declared Modi to be a "much tougher negotiator", Tharoor said that to hear a man like Donald Trump, whose defence secretary called him 'the greatest negotiator in the world' declaring that the Indian Prime Minister is a better negotiator "sounds very good".
"This is something Modi can put in the bank," Tharoor had said.
In his defence, Tharoor said he spoke with India's interests in mind, and pointed out, "We cannot always speak only in terms of the party's interest.”
Also read: Kerala: Congress on thin ice as Shashi Tharoor breaks free
Nod to Kerala's entrepreneurial policies
In an article in an English daily, he got his partymen in Kerala all riled up when he lauding the entrepreneurial policies of Kerala's ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front government. The Congress-led United Democratic Front is the primary opposition in the state.
The party's local mouthpiece, 'Veekshanam Daily', slammed Tharoor saying it was "suicidal" to weaken the Congress from within, when the party should be critiquing the failures of the LDF government.
He later explained he had not, in fact, praised the CPM, and had only tried to highlight Kerala's progress in the startup sector.
Speculation is rife whether Tharoor will quit the Congress. On Sunday, he shrugged off questions on whether "all is well between you and the party" with a "no comments at all".CPI(M) issues invitation
Meanwhile, his interview in the upcoming Malayalam-language podcast Varthamanam by The Indian Express, has also created a stir. Pointing out the lack of a clear leader in the Kerala Congress, he had emphasised his independent appeal among voters. “Opinion polls conducted by independent organisations have also shown that I was ahead of the others in leadership stakes in Kerala,” Tharoor said.
Amid the growing rift, senior CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac stated that Tharoor “will not be an orphan in Kerala politics” if he leaves the Congress. He further called it a “miracle” that Tharoor has remained in Congress for this long.
Senior Kerala Congress leader K Muraleedharan, considered a prospective Chief Minister face for the 2026 assembly elections, dismissed CPI(M)’s overtures, asserting that “this is our internal matter.”
