Shashi Tharoor’s absence has increased Congress’s anxiety, fueling speculation

New Delhi. Congress Working Committee member and MP Shashi Tharoor was absent from a key party meeting for the second consecutive time, sparking renewed debate within political circles about his role and stance. Tharoor was absent from the Congress’s strategy committee meeting chaired by Sonia Gandhi on Sunday. This meeting was convened regarding the winter session of Parliament.

Absent on the SIR issue, but appeared at Modi’s event
A few days ago, Tharoor had also missed a meeting called on the SIR issue, citing illness as the reason. However, questions arose when he attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s event the day before. Subsequent posts praising PM Modi appeared on his Instagram account, further fueling resentment within the party.

Tharoor’s clarification: He was traveling with his mother.
Tharoor’s office stated that he was in Kerala and was returning with his 90-year-old mother on a later flight, so he could not attend the meeting. Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal also missed the meeting due to local election campaigning.

Congress leaders express displeasure
A Congress leader told ANI, “Shashi Tharoor’s problem is that perhaps he doesn’t understand the country well enough. If you think PM Modi or the BJP’s policies are better, then why are you in the Congress? If you don’t provide an explanation, it’s a double standard.” Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also said, “I didn’t find anything praiseworthy in PM Modi’s speech. He constantly targeted the Congress. I don’t understand what Tharoor liked about it.”

Questions are being raised again about the Tharoor-Congress relationship.
The sourness in the relationship between Congress and Shashi Tharoor is not new, especially after Operation Sindoor, when Tharoor made positive comments about PM Modi on several occasions. Now, his absence from two important meetings in a row has raised new questions about his commitment within the party.