Shafaqna India: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said he had some “issues” with the party which he would take up with the leadership, and asserted that he had never violated the organisation’s stated positions in Parliament.
Speaking at the Kerala Literature Festival, Tharoor sought to draw a clear line between personal opinion and party discipline. The Congress MP said he had never departed from the party’s stated positions in Parliament and that his only disagreement in principle was over Operation Sindoor, a position he said was driven by national interest.
Rejecting suggestions of habitual dissent, Tharoor said he had remained aligned with party on all core parliamentary positions. His remarks come against the backdrop of reports pointing to unease within the party, including speculation that Tharoor was upset over not being adequately acknowledged by Rahul Gandhi at a recent event in Kochi and allegations that sections of the Kerala leadership have sought to sideline him.
Tharoor, however, framed his stance as one rooted in principle rather than personality. Referring to the aftermath of the Pahalgam incident, Tharoor recalled writing a column as an observer, arguing that the attack could not be ignored and that India needed to respond firmly but without sliding into a prolonged conflict.
He said India’s developmental priorities must go hand in hand with a clear message on security, with any response limited and directed at terror infrastructure. Tharoor noted that the government eventually adopted a course similar to what he had argued for, a development that surprised him.Invoking Jawaharlal Nehru, Tharoor said when the country’s security and standing in the world are at stake, political differences must recede. Parties, he added, will inevitably disagree in the process of strengthening democracy, but national interest must take precedence when India’s core concerns are involved.
While Tharoor was attempting to steady the narrative from within, the party was hit by another jolt after Dr Shakeel Ahmad’s statement provided fresh ammunition to the BJP, which launched a pointed political offensive linking Ahmad’s departure, soon after Bihar elections last year, to wider dissatisfaction within the Congress.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that Congress leaders themselves no longer take Rahul Gandhi seriously and claimed that voices within the party hold him responsible for its repeated electoral setbacks. Sharing a video clip of Ahmad on social media, Bhandari asserted that senior Congress figures privately and publicly question Rahul’s leadership and his ability to connect with the electorate.
According to BJP, Ahmad, who was also Congress incharge of Punjab, has described Rahul as a “virtual president” of the Congress and questioned the party’s internal functioning.
Bhandari claimed that Congress leaders believd issues raised by Rahul, including his recent focus on electoral roll revisions, had failed to resonate with voters.
He also accused Rahul of speaking about democracy in public while allegedly stifling it within his own party.
