Congress leadership reaching out to Shashi Tharoor for reconciliation

Reports suggest that attempts are being made by the Congress leadership to bridge the rift between Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor following an unfair treatment allegedly meted out to the Thiruvananthapuram MP at party’s Maha Panchayat held in Kochi recently.

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has engaged in efforts to reach out to Tharoor to resolve the differences. Reports indicate that Rahul Gandhi’s office sent feelers to him to enquire about his attendance at a recent meeting to defuse the tension.

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Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal is reportedly arranging a meeting of Shashi Tharoor with Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to redress his grievances.

The friction arose after Tharoor felt “sidelined” and “ignored” by Rahul Gandhi during the “Maha Panchayat” held on January 19, 2026, where he was reportedly not acknowledged by name by Rahul, prompting him to skip a crucial state strategy meeting in New Delhi.

Party sources indicate that the leadership plans to meet Tharoor during the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament to address his concerns. His office reportedly informed the party that he would be in Delhi by January 28 for the Parliament session.

Congress leaders in Kerala are seeking Rahul Gandhi’s intervention as the issue involves the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha too.

During his address at the Mahapanchayat in Kochi, Rahul Gandhi mentioned Kerala leaders by name except Tharoor. He is also said to have overlooked Tharoor while greeting leaders on the stage. Tharoor’s speech was allegedly curtailed soon after Rahul Gandhi’s arrival on the stage. Visuals of the incident have since been widely discussed on social media.

Congress leaders acknowledge that Tharoor is having a large fan following in Kerala, especially among youngsters, professionals, middle and upper middle class, and apolitical individuals. They feel a disgruntled Tharoor may dent UDF’s prospects in the crucial elections.

To minimize the perception of a rift, senior leaders like Shafi Parambil and Deepa Das Munshi publicly stated there is “no differences of opinion” and that Tharoor’s absence from recent meetings was due to pre-approved commitments at the Kerala Literature Festival.

Meanwhile, Shashi Tharoor admitted that he has some issues with his party which he would take up with the leadership.

Speaking to the media in Kozhikode, he said he has never violated the organisation’s stated positions in the Parliament. “All I can say is that there are issues which I need to take up with my own party leadership and not in a public forum,” he said. However, he declined to answer the question on the alleged unfair treatment meted out to him at a party event in Kochi. Tharoor said he would not comment on it.