No neglect, maybe communication gap: Congress after Tharoor says he wasn't invited for Nilambur bypoll campaign

Indian Express

6 hours ago

After Congress Working Committee Member Shashi Tharoor said he was not invited to campaign for the party ahead of the Nilambur byelection, the Congress's state leadership said there was no attempt to 'neglect or avoid' him, but conceded that there may have been 'a communication gap'.
Tharoor said Thursday that he had some 'differences of opinion' with some in the Congress leadership. The tensions had come to light after he was chosen by the Centre to lead one of the Indian overseas delegations deputed to explain Operation Sindoor — the Indian armed forces' strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK.
On Thursday, Tharoor said, 'If the government demands, I am always ready to render my services to the country… I had proudly done my duty as an Indian citizen.'
On his relationship with the Congress leadership, he said, 'I have differences of opinion with some in the Congress leadership. You know what I am talking about, as some of those issues are there in the public domain and have been reported by you (the media).'
'I had seen that they (Congress) had some misunderstandings. When I was busy with the visits abroad, they engaged in arguments without understanding what I had said,' he said.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor said he had no plans to join the BJP. 'Let the Congress reveal their thoughts about me,' he said.
Referring to his visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after returning from abroad, Tharoor said it was to discuss the delegation's visit to various countries. 'No domestic politics were discussed'.
Regarding his absence from campaigning for the party ahead of the bypoll for the Nilambur Assembly constituency, Tharoor said he was not invited. 'I was not invited. When I came back after 16 days of visits, there was no message,' he said, adding, 'I do not go where I am not invited.'
Congress state vice-president A P Anil Kumar said Tharoor was among the party's list of star campaigners. 'He was not here in Kerala. There was no attempt to neglect or avoid him. There might be a communication gap,' Kumar said.
With the byelection seen as being critical for the Congress ahead of the Assembly elections next year, several senior party leaders said Tharoor should have shown restraint when polling was going on. 'The issue can be opened after the byelection. Let the people be allowed to vote for Congress. We were not invited for the campaign, but that was our responsibility,' said senior leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan.
Congress state president Sunny Joseph said the party had not given any duty to Working Committee members in the byelection. 'There is no practice of inviting any leader. Everybody knows Tharoor was busy. We know his style. The charge of campaigning in panchayats was given to KPCC leaders, MLAs and MPs,' he said.