'We Are All On Same Page': Shashi Tharoor Downplays 'Kochi Mahapanchayat' Controversy, Says Issues Resolved Amicably With Congress Leadership

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday downplays the recent 'Kochi Mahapanchayat' controversy, saying issues have been resolved amicably with the Congress leadership.

He emphasised unity, focusing on the upcoming Kerala elections, and said he plans to campaign extensively across 140 constituencies. He added that reports of rifts within the party were "exaggerated" and said "all is good" after a meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Speaking to reporters on the Kerala Congress's Observance Day, the 78th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Tharoor stated that the issues were "thoroughly discussed in a very amicable atmosphere" and that the party is "moving forward" ahead of the upcoming state elections.

With the elections just three months away, Tharoor emphasised the need for the party to gear up and send the right message to voters. He highlighted his contributions to the party, having campaigned in 56 constituencies in the last elections, and expressed his hope to reach even more constituencies this time.

"Many of the reports were considerably exaggerated, but whatever it was, the issues have been thoroughly discussed in a very amicable atmosphere with both the Congress president and the LoP. As I said yesterday, we are all on the same page.

There's nothing more to say. All is good. We are moving forward. And frankly, we have an election to fight now in the states, perhaps in three months or less, so we really have to gear up for it. But I've always been there. I mean, people seem to overlook the fact that in the last elections, I campaigned in 56 constituencies. That doesn't change. So I'm going to be hopefully adding even more to that list of constituencies that I can reach during this time. It is very, very important that we send the right message to the voters and at the same time to have an opportunity really to make a significant impact on the lives of people," Tharoor said.

Tharoor's absence came a few days after he was reportedly 'ignored' by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the party's "Mahapanchayat" organised in Kochi, Kerala, on January 19.

Rahul Gandhi had entered the venue while Tharoor was addressing the Maha Panchayat. While Gandhi, along with KC Venugopal, greeted multiple party leaders, a direct greeting to Tharoor was not given.

Tharoor felt "deeply insulted" when Gandhi mentioned several other leaders on stage but not him, even though he was present. The Congress party denied any internal issues, stating Tharoor had prior commitments at the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode.

Additonally, Tharoor criticised the current Kerala government's budget, saying it's based on "far-fetched promises" and debt, rather than economic growth. He advocated for a business-friendly approach, greater investment, and improved well-being for people.

"I really worry that already the Kerala growth model has been replaced by a Kerala debt model," he said, emphasising the need for economic growth and investment.

"We've just seen the Kerala state budget yesterday. They made all sorts of far-fetched promises at a time when they had no money to fulfil these promises. And I really worry that the Kerala growth model has already been replaced by a Kerala debt model. We can't incur more debts. We actually need to be able to deliver well-being to the people, but we need that economic growth so revenues can be generated through growth. And for that, we also need more investment.

We have to be much more open to business than Kerala has been in recent years. There's a lot to be done, and I'm certainly hoping that, with a change of government three months from now, we will see some very positive results. No, no, I'm one of the foot soldiers of the party, but I'll do my best."

Meanwhile, Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition, VD Satheesan, announced that Shashi Tharoor will be actively campaigning for the UDF in the upcoming Kerala elections, focusing on all 140 constituencies.

This comes after Tharoor's recent meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, signalling a truce between Tharoor and the party leadership.

Speaking to reporters, Satheesan said," He was present in a meeting with Rahul Gandhi in Kochi also. He will be at the forefront of the UDF campaign for the elections in Kerala. He will be more active in Kerala for the elections. We are trying to take him to all 140 constituencies in the state."

He said he had held "very good, constructive and positive" discussions with Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and party President Mallikarjun Kharge after the Lok Sabha legislator's absence from a party meeting in Kerala last week, which had triggered speculation about reported differences.

Tharoor participated in a meeting that ran for a couple of hours at Kharge's office in Parliament.

Speaking to ANI, the Thiruvananthapuram MP emphasised that he has always stood with the All India Congress Party and has actively participated in election campaigning.

"We had a discussion with my two party leaders, the LoP and the Congress president. We had a very good, constructive, positive discussion. All is good, and we are moving together on the same page. What more can I say?...I have always campaigned for the party, where have I not campaigned?" Tharoor said.

Further, as his home state of Kerala heads into Assembly elections soon, Tharoor, when quizzed about whether today's meeting touched upon the Chief Ministerial face of the Congress and whether he would be throwing his hat in the race, said that he is not interested in being a candidate as the Member of Parliament's "job" remains suitable for him.

"No, that was never discussed. I am not interested in being a candidate for anything. I am already an MP and have the trust of my voters in Thiruvananthapuram. I have to look after their interests in Parliament, that is my job," he said when asked if Kerala CM candidature was discussed.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and auto-generated from an agency feed.)