BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya has claimed that Shashi Tharoor's "downsizing" in the Congress would have been faster and conspicuous had he not enjoyed towering public standing.
On Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed speculation about an increasing rift between Tharoor and the Congress, asserting that the Thiruvananthapuram MP's "marginalisation was unavoidable" after he chose to challenge the party's president election against Mallikarjun Kharge in 2022.
"Shashi Tharoor's Congress marginalisation was inevitable after he took the risk of challenging the party's presidential poll against Mallikarjun Kharge, the Gandhi family nominee," Malviya posted on X.
He also asserted that Tharoor's marginalization within the party would have advanced much more rapidly if it had not been for his visibility in the public eye.
“His downsizing would have been swifter and more conspicuous if not for his high public profile. The Congress, after all, is nothing but a proprietorship firm of the Gandhis,” he added.
Speculation over Tharoor’s strained ties with Congress intensified after he acknowledged the “positive outcomes” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US and praised Kerala’s startup ecosystem under the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in a newspaper article.
After making these comments, Tharoor sat down with top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, though their conversation was not disclosed.
On Sunday, adding more to the speculations regarding his future in politics, Tharoor noted that the Congress organization in Kerala had no "leader" and cautioned that if the party does not extend its outreach beyond its long-standing voter base, it could continue to stay in Opposition for a third straight term.
In an interview on a podcast with The Indian Express, Tharoor said he was willing to serve the party if called upon. He also, however, said that if Congress did not need his services anymore, he had "other options" like writing books, giving lectures, and attending international forums. I.
Kerala Congress leader K Sudhakaran warned Tharoor not to overstep limits in return. "I have always stood with Tharoor, but he should not go beyond limits. I will remind him of this. I had called him several times, but I was unable to contact him," Sudhakaran stated.
In the meantime, Congress senior leader Ramesh Chennithala observed that Tharoor's interview was conducted prior to his meeting with Rahul Gandhi. "I know he (Tharoor) gave the interview prior to meeting Rahul Gandhi. I do not want to respond to it," said Chennithala, who was the former Leader of the Opposition in Kerala.
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