Kochi: Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor on Saturday reasserted that he was more loyal to the nation than his party. Tharoor made the remark at an event in Kochi even as his relationship with the Congress leadership remained strained over recent developments.

Back from a foreign trip, Tharoor attended two private events in Kochi even as he was kept away from two major programmes organised by the Congress in the city. 

“We respect our parties. We have certain values and convictions that keep us in our parties. But we need to cooperate with other parties in the interest of national security. Sometimes the parties feel that it is disloyal to them, and that becomes a big problem. Which is your first loyalty? To my mind, the nation comes first. Parties are a means of making the nation better,” Tharoor said at the anniversary meet of the Council for Community Cooperation at TDM Hall. He made the remarks during an interaction with students. Speaking to the media outside the event,  the Thiruvananthapuram MP said that the controversy over his recent article on the Emergency was baseless. He said the comments in the article were nothing but what he had written in a book in 1997. He said he has not said anything against the Gandhi family but only mentioned certain incidents during the Emergency and the people involved in them. 

Of the recent opinion poll which projected him as the most favourite Congressman for Kerala CM’s post, Tharoor said it was up to those who conducted the survey to speak about it. The survey grabbed media attention after Tharoor posted it on X with a thanking gesture. He said he was not invited to the Congress events in the city on Saturday. Earlier in the day, Tharoor inaugurated the Muthoot Business School at an event in the company’s office at Palarivattom. He did not speak to the media personnel who were waiting for him at the venue. He said both the programmes were fixed earlier.

The Congress’ Samarasangamam' in which most of the state leaders participated took place at AJ Hall in Kaloor, while ‘For Anna, For All’ campaign organised by the All India Professionals Congress was held at Federal Bank Tower in Panampilly Nagar. The venues of the events attended by Tharoor were not far away.

The Congress leadership has not responded to the allegation of avoiding Tharoor in its programmes. Sources in the district Congress leadership and AIPC said that the events were planned early and they were not sure about Tharoor’s schedule. “We were not sure if Tharoor would be in the country, let alone in Kochi this day,” a Congress leader said.

Notably, Tharoor’s photo was featured on the backdrop of the 'Samarasangamam' event along with key national and state leaders. The Congress leadership in the state has, informally, taken the stand to ignore Tharoor by not responding to the statements he has been making against party interests. His relation with the party leadership had soured since he led a government delegation to foreign countries in the wake of the Pahalagam terror attack and the retaliatory Operation Sindoor against the Congress interests.