New Delhi: Amid speculations of an internal feud between the Congress and Shashi Tharoor, Rahul Gandhi on Sunday asserted that the party’s leaders in Kerala “stand as one” and were “united”. Speculations of internal rift were triggered due to the Tharoor’s growing praise for the BJP-led Centre.
Gandhi posted an image on Facebook from a press conference of Kerala Congress leaders after their meeting with the party’s top leadership in Delhi on February 28. “They stand as one, united by the light of purpose ahead,” he captioned the photo. Not just that he accompanied the post with hashtag ‘Team Kerala’.
In the meeting in Delhi, the Congress leaders reportedly discussed the strategy for the 2026 Kerala Assembly polls. The Congress leadership issued a stern warning to all its leaders. According to reports, the leaders warned of strict disciplinary action against those making statements that deviate from the party’s stance.
The meeting was attended by Tharoor, Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary K C Venugopal, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kerala unit chief K Sudhakaran, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader of the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan, party’s Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi.
Reports claimed Rahul Gandhi told his party’s leaders to be very careful about the political strategy and should not do or say anything that does not abide by the party line, reported the India Today.
Earlier, Tharoor had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also gave a subtle warning that he had “other options” if the Congress did not require his services.
Earlier this month, the Thiruvananthapuram MP also commended the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government in Kerala for its policies on ease of doing business. All these remarks reportedly did not go down well with the Congress.
He welcomed the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington in January and meeting US President Donald Trump at the White House. However, the trip was criticized by the Congress.
Reports claimed that Rahul Gandhi held a closed-door meeting with Tharoor in Delhi a week ago. Meanwhile, senior CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac stated that Tharoor “will not be an orphan in Kerala politics” if he quits the Congress.
