- By Aditya Jha
- Mon, 01 Dec 2025 02:59 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday skipped the key party meeting ahead of the winter session of the parliament, fueling the rift reports between him and other party leaders. The meeting was chaired by Sonia Gandhi and was attended by the top party leaders to discuss the party's strategy for the winter session. While Tharoor's absence was questioned by the political observers, the Congress MP clarified that he missed the meeting as he was "on a plane" from Kerala to Delhi. In the past few months, Tharoor's remarks on multiple issues have not aligned with the party line, leading to speculations of a possible rift between him and the top brass.
While addressing the reporters outside the parliament, Tharoor stated that he could not attend the key meeting as he was travelling to Delhi. “I didn’t skip it. I was on a plane coming from Kerala. That’s all,” Tharoor told the reporters. Tharoor's office, while elaborating on the situation, stated that the Congress MP was travelling with his 90-year-old mother on a flight while the meeting was conducted.
Apart from Tharoor, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal also missed the meeting due to his scheduled campaign for local body elections in Kerala. The Congress is set to raise several key issues in the ongoing session, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, the Delhi Blast, and the Delhi Air Pollution. The grand old party is also likely to demand a discussion on the alleged poll rigging in the past few Assembly elections.
Earlier in November, Tharoor also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech, receiving backlash from his fellow party leaders. Several Congress leaders, including Supriya Shrinate and Sandeep Dixit, questioned Tharoor's gesture by stating that there was nothing "inspiring" about the prime minister's speech. However, the Congress leader later clarified that his remarks were "neutral", adding that cooperation is needed in a democracy.