Tharoor’s Putin banquet attendance rekindles tension with Congress leadership

Shashi Tharoor rejected speculation of leaving the Congress after criticism over his presence at President Putin’s state banquet. While AICC leaders expressed displeasure, Tharoor said he attended in his official capacity and remains focused on serving his constituency.

Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi: Shashi Tharoor’s presence at the state banquet hosted for visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin has reopened long-simmering tensions between the Thiruvananthapuram MP and the Congress high command, giving the BJP-led NDA government yet another opportunity to widen the rift. However, according to NDTV, the veteran Congress leader seems to be in no mood as yet to break ties with his party, despite everything.

In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, during which the Thiruvananthapuram MP was asked if was looking to make a big move anytime soon, Tharoor said, “…I don’t know why this has to be asked. I mean I’m an MP of the Congress party. I went to great trouble to get elected. It would take a considerable amount of thought and various other considerations to be anything else.”

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Tharoor told NDTV that he has a job to do for voters and is doing his very best to fulfill obligations to them.

“In some of the conversations before we all sat down to dinner, I was trying to plug certain things for my constituency with some of the officials I was coming across here from our own government. So that’s part of the life blood of getting things done for your people, your voters, your constituency. That’s political responsibility,” Tharoor added.

However, no matter his plans, AICC sources said the Congress’ central leadership was “not pleased” that Tharoor attended the high-profile event without consulting the party.

AICC spokesperson Pawan Khera publicly sharpened the criticism, stating that both those who extended the invitation and those who accepted it must be prepared to answer questions.

He added that he personally would not have attended a banquet from which top Opposition leaders were excluded.

Neither Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi nor Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, had been invited to the ceremony, prompting the Congress to register its protest earlier in the day on Friday.

Tharoor, however, maintained that he attended the banquet in an official capacity, pointing out that he was invited as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs — a position that the government can leverage independently of party channels.

The event, attended by Prime Minister Modi and senior Union ministers, gave Tharoor national visibility, once again placing him in a delicate position within his party.

For months, Tharoor and the Congress leadership have circled each other in a political cat-and-mouse game.

The strain dates back to his decision to contest the Congress presidential election — an act that, though unsuccessful, dramatically raised his stature both within and outside the party.

Since then, the Modi government has made use of Tharoor’s institutional roles, from deputing him to lead a parliamentary delegation to the US after ‘Operation Sindoor’ to spotlighting him at high-visibility diplomatic engagements.

Congress leaders believe these moves are calculated to highlight the distance between Tharoor and the party’s top brass.

But Tharoor, known for his poise and political flamboyance, has refused to be drawn into open confrontation.

His position in Kerala also remains secure; state-level leaders, aware of his popularity and electoral record, have avoided criticising him directly.

As the Congress gears up for crucial electoral tests ahead, Tharoor’s independent positioning — and the BJP’s efforts to exploit it — continues to remain a storyline the party has yet to fully manage.