New Delhi: The Congress High Command held talks with Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor following a controversy over his remarks praising both the Union and Kerala state governments. Tharoor met Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders at Sonia Gandhi’s residence. This is his first meeting with Rahul since October 2022.  

After spending about half an hour inside, Tharoor left through the back gate in a car with Rahul. Neither spoke to the media.  

Tharoor later met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the presence of AICC general secretary KC Venugopal. Reports suggest the meeting was arranged at Tharoor’s request.  

The Congress leadership had summoned Tharoor to Delhi to clarify his article praising Kerala’s start-up sector under the CPM-led government and his remarks appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit, both of which sparked criticism.  

Sources close to Tharoor said he explained that his article and comments on Modi were not politically motivated. The Kerala Congress had strongly opposed his statements and conveyed their discontent to the high command, prompting the party’s intervention.  

Venugopal had earlier said the party had discussed the issue with Tharoor. “There is no need for any controversy. It is a closed chapter. That is the Congress’ view,” Venugopal told reporters in New Delhi. He also accused the Left government of manipulating data and engaging in a PR exercise.  

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran said he had spoken to Tharoor and given him “good advice.” “Individuals can have their own opinions, but the party decides its official stance,” he said in Kasaragod.  

On Sunday, Tharoor clarified that his article in an English daily was apolitical and focused solely on Kerala’s entrepreneurial and innovation-driven growth.  

However, the Congress’ Kerala mouthpiece, 'Veekshanam Daily', published an editorial on Monday criticising an unnamed leader—widely believed to be Tharoor—for praising the state's start-up progress under the Left government. It warned against undermining the party’s position before local body elections, arguing that a strong anti-incumbency sentiment prevailed in the state. The editorial also criticised Tharoor’s positive remarks on Modi’s US visit, calling them politically misguided.