Excluding Tharoor an insult, says Kerala Congress chief
Thiruvananthapuram
Former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran on Thursday criticized the party’s decision to exclude Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from the list of leaders heading Centre’s delegations on ‘Operation Sindoor.’ Sudhakaran called it an insult to Tharoor, who he described as a capable leader and loyal party member. He said sidelining Tharoor was unnecessary and unfair.
Tharoor had accepted the government’s invitation to lead a multi-party delegation abroad to present India’s stance against Pakistan on terrorism, even though his name was not on the official Congress list. The party had instead nominated other MPs like Anand Sharma and Gaurav Gogoi. However, the government chose Tharoor for the role, ignoring the Congress list. Sudhakaran dismissed rumors that Tharoor might leave the party, saying he spoke to him and believed he would stay loyal.
Regarding his own removal as KPCC chief, Sudhakaran said he felt relieved and was not upset. He expressed his continued loyalty to the party and pledged to actively support it, especially by engaging with booth-level committees to motivate workers ahead of elections. He has permission from the new KPCC chief to work across Kerala.
Sudhakaran also criticized the state government, highlighting damaged highways and a lack of response from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He accused the government of neglecting development and sitting on funds meant for Kerala’s progress, questioning the loss caused by recent infrastructure failures.