Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 20: The Congress party in Kerala appears to be heading towards a full-blown internal rift, as senior leader K Muraleedharan on Sunday lashed out at fellow party MP Shashi Tharoor, accusing him of toeing a line that contradicts the party’s stance on national security.
Speaking to media persons, Muraleedharan, a prominent Congress figure in Kerala and former Union Minister, made it clear that Tharoor would not be invited to any party events in Thiruvananthapuram until he publicly alters his current position. “He is not one among us at the moment. Hence, the question of him boycotting any event does not arise. He will not be called until he realigns with the party’s core values,” Muraleedharan stated, hinting that disciplinary action from the central leadership could be on the cards.
The sharp remarks came a day after Tharoor, who is also a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), defended his controversial stand on national security during an event in Kochi. “To my mind, the nation comes first. Parties are just instruments to serve the nation,” Tharoor had remarked, underlining that his support for the armed forces and central government in matters of national security should not be viewed as party disloyalty.
Tharoor also admitted that he had come under internal criticism for his stance but maintained, “I will stand my ground because I believe it is the right thing to do.” He said that such principled positions are often misunderstood within party lines, causing friction.
Muraleedharan’s attack did not stop there. He also revisited Tharoor’s earlier actions, including the sharing of a survey suggesting he was the most preferred CM candidate within the UDF, and questioned Tharoor’s political loyalty. “He should first decide which party he belongs to,” he said, referring to a previous controversy.
Adding fuel to the fire, Muraleedharan also objected to a newspaper article in which Tharoor allegedly criticised late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s handling of the Emergency. “If he is not comfortable with the ideology of the Congress, he should choose a clear political path,” Muraleedharan asserted.
Political analysts view this clash as a sign of deepening divisions within the Kerala Congress unit, with national implications for the party's image and cohesion. The central leadership has yet to officially respond to the controversy.
As murmurs of factionalism grow louder, all eyes are now on the Congress high command and whether it will intervene to resolve the escalating tension between two of its most high-profile leaders in Kerala.