Congress Internal Rift: Amid growing internal tensions within the Congress party, senior leader K Muraleedharan has openly declared that Shashi Tharoor, MP from Thiruvananthapuram and a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), is “no longer one of us.” This bold remark follows Tharoor’s recent comments supporting the Centre on national security matters, especially in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attacks and Operation Sindoor.
Muraleedharan made it clear that Tharoor will not be invited to any party event in Thiruvananthapuram unless he revises his position. “Till he changes his stance, we will not invite him to any party programme held in Thiruvananthapuram. He is not with us, so there is no question of him boycotting an event,” he said.
The remarks come at a crucial time when the Congress, along with other INDIA bloc members, is gearing up to target the Modi government in the upcoming Monsoon Session over what it calls a serious “security lapse” in Kashmir.
Tharoor Holds Ground on ‘Nation First’ Stance Despite Party Backlash
In a recent public event in Kochi, Shashi Tharoor, who led India’s all-party delegation on Operation Sindoor to the Americas, reiterated his belief in putting the nation before party politics. “Political parties exist to make countries better. But I will stand my ground, because I believe this is the right thing for the country,” Tharoor said, defending his pro-national security position.
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Tharoor noted that many within his own party have criticized him for supporting the armed forces and the central government in recent national security matters. “When people like me call for cooperating with other parties in the interest of national security, our own parties often see it as disloyalty and that becomes a major problem,” he added.
Muraleedharan has previously targeted Tharoor over a survey naming him the UDF’s preferred Chief Ministerial candidate and an article he wrote criticizing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s handling of the Emergency, which was published in a Malayalam daily. “He should first decide which party he belongs to,” Muraleedharan said, urging Tharoor to choose a clear political path.
As tensions mount, all eyes are now on the Congress high command to decide the next course of action regarding one of its most high-profile and increasingly estranged leaders.
