New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor skipped yet another key party meeting on Tuesday, this time held at Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s residence in Delhi, sparking fresh speculation about his strained ties with the Congress leadership.

The meeting, attended by Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and senior leaders, including P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh, Pramod Tiwari and Manish Tewari, was convened to prepare for the upcoming Parliament Budget session, where the Opposition plans to corner the BJP over economic issues and the jobs guarantee scheme.

Why did Shashi Tharoor skip the meeting?

According to PTI, Tharoor had informed the party that he was returning from Dubai and would not be able to attend. Speaking after his return, Tharoor clarified that the meeting intimation came too late.

“The invitation came only yesterday or the day before, by which time my travel plans were already finalised. With Parliament in session, I had booked my ticket directly from Dubai to Delhi,” he said.

This marks the second time in four days that the Thiruvananthapuram MP has skipped a top-level Congress meeting.

Last week, he skipped a discussion on the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections. Though it was earlier reported that he might join that meeting virtually due to a literary festival commitment, he was eventually absent. Tharoor later dismissed speculation, saying the matter had been discussed internally and he would not comment publicly.

Is Shashi Tharoor drifting away from Congress?

A former diplomat and four-time Lok Sabha MP, Tharoor is widely seen as being on uneasy terms with the Congress leadership following remarks perceived as praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, particularly on national security issues including the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

These comments triggered sharp reactions from party leaders, with some even hinting at a possible BJP switch, claims Tharoor has firmly denied. However, rumours about his future in the Congress have persisted, including speculation about a possible move to Kerala’s ruling CPM, which senior party leader MV Govindan dismissed as “baseless”.

Budget session timeline

The Budget session of Parliament will begin on January 28, with the first phase running till February 13. The second part will start on March 9 and conclude on April 2.