Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram Congress MP Shashi Tharoor maintained that he’s not as removed from the get together line as is usually mentioned.
The senior Congress chief has come beneath fireplace in current months for allegedly deviating from the get together’s official line in his feedback about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering-led central authorities.
Nevertheless, Tharoor mentioned on Monday: “Who mentioned I’m deviating from the get together line? I shared views on some topics, however there was no disagreement on primary topics… Even in my speeches in Parliament, I at all times had a transparent line.”
After the Congress’ two-day brainstorming camp in Wayanad forward of the 2026 Kerala Meeting polls, Shashi Tharoor informed the media that his speeches and questions within the Meeting had been in step with the Congress camp. However information reviews about them, particularly headlines, made them controversial, he mentioned.
“I consider in freedom of the press. However when the media summarizes a 1,000-word article into one sentence, the nuance and particulars are misplaced. When folks criticize it, they’re solely trying on the headline,” Tharoor mentioned, accusing the media of publishing a couple of sentences of his speech out of context.
Tharoor mentioned birthday needs to LK Advani had been a “small courtesy” for the 98-year-old man and shouldn’t be seen as something particular.
Prime Minister Tharoor additionally clarified that he was not praising Prime Minister Modi, however merely sharing his opinion by quoting the speech given by the Prime Minister on the sixth Ramnath Goenka Lecture in November 2025. Congress leaders termed PM Modi’s speech each an “financial outlook” and a “cultural name to motion”, emphasizing the deal with transferring India from an “rising market” to an “rising mannequin” and ending the post-colonial “slave mentality”.
Requested if he was curious about taking part within the 2026 parliamentary elections, Tharoor dodged the query, saying some leaders had already expressed curiosity however the closing determination rested with the get together management. Nevertheless, he confirmed that regardless of his Congress commitments, he would stay actively concerned in Kerala politics.
Earlier within the day, a video from the Congress camp surfaced on social media displaying Tharoor interacting and laughing with senior leaders together with All India Congress Committee normal secretary KC Venugopal, Kerala Opposition chief VD Satheesan and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph.
Tharoor’s newest remarks and visuals tackle significance towards the backdrop of a number of of his statements in current months which have drawn criticism from inside Congress.
In November 2025, Tharoor got here beneath intense criticism after he wrote an article titled “Indian politics is a household enterprise” that criticized India’s political management as a “birthright”. He cited the names of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi together with the examples of Biju Janata Dal, Akali Dal and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
The Congress MP additionally raised eyebrows each inside and out of doors the get together when he termed the BJP’s victory within the Thiruvananthapuram Company for the primary time within the 2025 Kerala native physique polls as a “historic efficiency” and a “important victory”.
On Monday, Tharoor mentioned he has been in Congress for 17 years and there must be no misunderstandings. He additionally declared that the get together will face this yr’s parliamentary elections unitedly and win.
Though Congress has not but selected a candidate, Tharoor mentioned he’ll proceed to be lively this season, citing the instance of campaigning in 56 constituencies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Did not you see everybody having enjoyable speaking? I have been on this get together for 17 years and we do not want a sudden misunderstanding,” he mentioned. “Congress is a democratic get together. I contested for the AICC (All India Congress Committee) management and misplaced. That is it.”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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