Kerala: Tharoor Meets Muslim League's Chief At Latter's Residence; State Congress Leaders Not Impressed

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's outreach programmes in Kerala has led other leaders of the Congress in state to issue a warning against 'any parallel activities in the organisation'.

Unfazed by the intra-party rumblings over his Malabar tour, the Thiruvananthapuram MP went ahead with his programmes including meeting with top leaders of IUML, a key partner of the Congress-led UDF, and said he was not afraid of anyone nor was he creating any group in the party.

Sources said a section of senior leaders of the party was upset with Tharoor's political move to position himself as a chief ministerial candidate in the 2026 Assembly polls and it got reflected through Satheesan's hard hitting statement targeting the Thiruvananthapuram MP.

However, Tharoor brushed aside media queries on whether Satheesan's remarks were aimed at him and announced he wants a 'united Congress.'

Earlier, speaking to reporters at the residence of IUML chief Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal at Panakkad in Malappuram district, Tharoor said there were already enough 'A' and 'I' groups in Congress and there was no need to add any more alphabets like 'O' or 'V'.

'If there has to be an alphabet, it should be 'U' for a united Congress which is what we all need. There is nothing unusual about this visit. I fail to see the need to make a big deal out of two UDF MPs meeting an ally's leaders,' Tharoor, accompanied by his staunch supporter and MP M K Raghavan, said.

The 'A' and 'I' groups in the Congress party in Kerala have been active since the days of late K Karunakaran and AK Antony, both former CMs.

In response to queries by the media as to who was afraid of his tour, Tharoor also said, 'I do not fear anyone and there is no need for anyone to be afraid of me.'

Senior party leader and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, V D Satheesan, at a press conference in the state capital, responded to queries on Tharoor's Malabar tour, saying every leader has a space within the Congress and no one is against it, but insisted the party has its own mechanisms and systems.

'The Congress in Kerala is not at all healthy to afford any more parallel activities...after suffering two drubbings in the assembly polls, the party is on a comeback mode in the state. Everybody's working as a team now. At this time, no one will be allowed to do any parallel activities,' he said.

He also accused a section of the media of 'peddling stories with an agenda' to weaken the Congress in the southern state.

'We cannot accept the agenda of weakening the Congress party even if it is done by any media or social media. If anyone within the party has any role in this, it will be dealt with seriously,' he said.

Satheesan said such false news reports could not destroy leaders like him as they were not 'inflated balloons,' who could be punctured with a pin prick.

Though mediapersons repeatedly asked whether Tharoor was an 'inflated balloon', he declined to comment.

Tharoor too was of the view that the media was unnecessarily creating a hype over his visit to Thangal's residence or him meeting senior leaders of the IUML there.

The development comes a day after KPCC chief K Sudhakaran barred the party leaders from airing their opinions publicly on the matter.

The MP downplayed his visit and meeting with the IUML leaders by saying it was just a courtesy call on the way to an event in the district.

Other senior IUML leaders present there also termed his visit as nothing unusual and said they all go and meet Thangal whenever they pass through the area.

After meeting Tharoor, Thangal said his family has had close relations with the MP ever since he came to Kerala. 'He is invited to all important events, occasions. Therefore, when he was here, he came to meet us,' Thangal said.

On being asked if he wants Tharoor to be active in Kerala politics, he said, 'he is already active. He is an MP from Kerala. He won twice from here. He is not confined to Thiruvananthapuram. He is a good campaigner.'