New Delhi: The Congress party has called a meeting of its senior leaders from Kerala on Friday. The meeting will discuss the organisation's status and preparations for next year's assembly elections.

The meeting comes amid a row over Congress' Thiruvananthapuram M P Shashi Tharoor's article in an English daily, which drew criticism from some Congress leaders in the state for his perceived praise of the LDF government for boosting the investment climate.

Leaders in charge of the state will attend the meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former president Rahul Gandhi, the president of the Pradesh Congress Committee, the Leader of the Legislative Party, MPs and many other senior leaders.

Tharoor's article in the English daily praising the entrepreneurial growth in Kerala under the LDF government sparked a political storm. The Congress questioned its basis, while the CPM welcomed it.

Later, Tharoor's remarks in a Malayalam podcast were seen by many as pitching himself for leadership in the state. Speaking to the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor noted that a party meeting has been called on Friday, and he "will be there with everyone else".

Amid reports that the Congress high command is planning a revamp of the party in the state from the top, KPCC president K Sudhakaran on Wednesday said he will abide by any decision taken by the All India Congress Committee. While making it clear that no one from the AICC has asked him to step down, Sudhakaran said it is up to the high command to take a decision on reorganising the party and changing the KPCC president.

Assembly elections are set to take place in Kerala in March-April next year.