A day after his much-publicised meeting with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi, party’s Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday posted objections to the reports about the meeting, dismissing them as “fanciful accounts”.
“I have been reading fanciful accounts of who said what in my meeting with @INCIndia President @kharge and Lok Sabha LoP @RahulGandhi. Let me stress that there were only three of us in the room, and none of us has spoken to the media in such detail,” Tharoor said on X.
“My only comments have been those made publicly; everything else is sheer speculation. I deplore this kind of irresponsible journalism, which gives authentic reporting a bad name,” he added
Critics, however, accused the Thiruvananthapuram MP of “opportunism”, saying he got what he wanted in return for some“forced unity photos” for the Congress. “Questions should be raised over the compliments lavished by Tharoor on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, contrary to Rahul Gandhi’s political line. The BJP repeatedly used Tharoor’s remarks to embarrass the Congress and mock the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha regularly,” they said.
Tharoor’s meeting with the Congress leadership came ahead of the Kerala Assembly polls, which are crucial for the Congress. Last week, Tharoor had skipped a key party meeting related to preparations for the upcoming polls.
Notably, speaking after the meeting amid speculation of strained ties between him and the Congress leadership, Tharoor had posted, “Thanks to @INCIndia President @kharge ji and LS LoP @RahulGandhi ji for a warm and constructive discussion today on a wide range of subjects. We are all on the same page as we move forward in the service of the people of India.”
Tharoor also reiterated that he remains in the Congress and is not going anywhere. “I can say that I am going to be in the Congress and that I am not going anywhere. I will be part of the poll campaign (in Kerala) and will work for the victory of the UDF,” Tharoor said.