Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 23: Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor will stay away from a high-level Congress meeting convened on Friday to review preparations for the Kerala Assembly elections, party sources said. The absence comes amid Tharoor’s displeasure over an incident involving Rahul Gandhi at a recent Kochi Mahapanchayat.

Sources said Tharoor felt “insulted” when, despite instructions to the contrary, six leaders addressed the gathering after he had cut short his speech to greet Rahul Gandhi. He was reportedly upset that Gandhi did not mention him by name in his speech, unlike other leaders present on the dais. Party insiders added that Tharoor fears being sidelined after the elections, despite his popularity in Kerala.

Attempts by AICC in-charge for Kerala Deepa Dasmunshi and other leaders to reach him reportedly went unanswered. While skipping the high-command meeting, Tharoor is scheduled to attend the Kerala Literature Festival later on Friday.

The incident marks another tense episode in Tharoor’s uneasy equation with the Congress leadership, following past controversies over his remarks on the Nehru-Gandhi family and national issues.