Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Thursday that he has some differences of opinion with the party but prefers to keep those talks private for now. He said he will discuss them when someone from the party reaches out to him.
“I’ve been with Congress for 16 years. I do have some disagreements with the party, but I will talk about them inside the party when the time is right. Today is not the time to speak about it,” Tharoor told reporters. His comments came on the same day Kerala’s Nilambur seat was voting in a by-election. Notably, Tharoor did not campaign for the party candidate, even though senior Congress leaders like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra actively supported the candidate.
Earlier this month, Tharoor led an all-party delegation abroad related to Operation Sindoor and seemed to upset some Congress leaders by showing support for the Modi government’s recent military actions along the Pakistan and PoK borders. Some even accused him of acting like a “super spokesperson” for the ruling BJP.
On June 10, Tharoor described his meeting with Prime Minister Modi as “good, lively and informal.” He said, “When the nation faces a challenge, it is our duty to stand with it. I am always ready to serve the nation when needed.” Tharoor also said he didn’t want to discuss his differences during the ongoing bypoll, but added, “Some of my disagreements with the party leadership have been reported, so they aren’t a secret.”
The Nilambur by-election happened because the previous MLA, PV Anvar, who was supported by the Left, joined Congress and is now running as an Independent. Congress has nominated Aryadan Shoukath, son of former MLA Aryadan Mohammed, while the ruling LDF supports M Swaraj. Tharoor praised the Congress workers in Nilambur for their hard work and said he hopes their efforts pay off.
