Shashi Tharoor spoke up, praising the CPM’s policies in Kerala, which left his party (Congress) unsettled. He also praised the state’s growth and mentioned that if Congress does not need him, he has more options. During the ongoing row, he broke his silence on the topic over his praiseful remarks on the rival government.
He also highlighted the absence of a Congress leader in Kerala on The Indian Express’ Malayalam-language podcast Varthamanam, which is to be released on Wednesday while a teaser for the podcast has already been released.
Shashi Tharoor has been elected four times from his home state, Kerala. His positive remarks on the CPM’s policies and also his praises on The US visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have caused a disturbance in the Congress party.
In his defense, Tharoor told in the podcast that the public has supported his right to express his views over issues related to the development of the state.
Shashi Tharoor’s Reply
Tharoor stated “If the party wants me then I will be there for the party. If not, I have my own things to do. You should not think that I don’t have any option to spend time. I have options. I have my books, speeches, invitations from across the world for talks,”
Shashi Tharoor has clearly told Rahul Gandhi:
“if the party wishes to leverage my leadership, I am willing, but if not, I have OTHER OPTIONS.”~ Now he dodges questions by saying NO COMMENTS. Is Tharoor heading towards the Communists or NDA? 👀pic.twitter.com/dNlZGUrVKP
— The Analyzer (News Updates🗞️) (@Indian_Analyzer) February 23, 2025
During the 2024 Lok Sabha Election, Congress had a resurgence but it was not able to translate into the next state polls. Shashi Tharoor stressed that Congress needs to widen its reach in Kerala or else they would be in opposition for the third term in a row.
Tharoor also added that Congress cannot win elections at this rate with the support of his current support base. He further added “At the national level, the Congress vote was around 19%. Would we be fine with our own vote base? Only if we get 26-27% additional, we can come to power. We need those who have not backed us in the last two elections.”
“I came back to this country to serve it. I was doing well in the US and earning a lot of money,” he added.
