Post-Op Sindoor outreach, Shashi Tharoor-Congress rift growing?

Thiruvananthapuram: Four-time Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, appears increasingly isolated within his party, fuelling speculation about his future in the Congress.

Whispers about a potential exit have grown louder, with many sensing that Tharoor’s political innings with the grand old party may be approaching its twilight.

Tharoor, long known for his suave public persona and global outlook, has been on the fringes of the Congress High Command’s inner circle for some time now.

With the passing of veteran Congress leader Oommen Chandy — one of the few senior Kerala leaders who maintained a cordial relationship with Tharoor — his isolation in the state unit has only deepened.

He currently enjoys little backing from the dominant factions within the Congress party in Kerala.

Eyebrows were raised recently when, after returning from a successful international outreach trip to the US and other countries — part of the ‘Operation Sindhoor’ initiative — Tharoor reportedly spoke candidly at a closed-door gathering in Delhi.

According to those familiar with the event, Tharoor admitted that his relationship with the Congress was “precariously placed.”

A political observer, speaking to IANS on condition of anonymity, said, “The Congress has little left to offer Tharoor, and perhaps he has little left to offer the party. The friction began when he defied the party establishment by contesting the Congress presidential election, and things worsened when he was excluded from key parliamentary committees.”

The situation reportedly reached a new low when Tharoor, despite frosty relations, went ahead and led the Congress parliamentary delegation abroad, bypassing internal objections.

“The ties are clearly strained, and his future in the party hangs in the balance. For now, we must wait and watch,” the political observer added.

Tharoor, once a political outsider, entered Indian politics in 2009, surprising many by securing a Congress ticket after brief meetings with Sonia Gandhi and then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Since then, without aligning with any major faction of the Congress party in Kerala, he has managed to win four consecutive Lok Sabha elections from Thiruvananthapuram — an unusual feat in Kerala politics.

As the party undergoes introspection and restructuring following its performance in last year’s Lok Sabha elections, all eyes are on Tharoor — an independent-minded leader known for playing his cards close to his chest.

IANS