Amid reports that he is 'upset' by Rahul Gandhi and the alleged attempts by party's Kerala unit to sideline him, senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Saturday that he has some 'issues' with the party and would discuss them with the top brass. However, the veteran leader stated that such issues should be discussed within the organisation and not through media.
Speaking to news agency PTI, the Lok Sabha MP from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram said he has been in Congress for the past 17 years and whatever has gone wrong, it "needs to be addressed and it will be addressed in an appropriate forum".
"All I can say is that there are issues which I need to take up with my own party leadership and not in a public forum I will be going to Delhi for Parliament and I will get an opportunity, I believe, to make my concerns very clear to the party leadership and get their viewpoint have a proper conversation," he said.
When asked why he didn't attend a party meeting over upcoming assembly elections in Kerala, the Congress leader stated he had informed the party leadership about his inability to join it. He explained that he wanted to attend a literature festival and that continuous travel was difficult.
"However, I will certainly attend all party activities in Parliament, and at that time I can meet the party leadership," he said.
Tharoor remains 'unapologetic' over stance on Operation Sindoor
Earlier in the day, Tharoor also attended the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode, where he was asked about his stance on Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to Pahalgam terror attack. He said he had taken a strong stand about it and he remains 'unapologetic' over it. He noted he had also written a newspaper piece over Pahalgam attack, demanding a strong action.
"How could I be expected to criticise it when I myself recommended it. I supported it fully throughout Operation Sindoor and afterwards," he said. "When India is at stake, when India's security and its place in the world are involved, India comes first."
Twenty-six people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor and destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Later, the central government appointed Tharoor to lead one of the multi-party delegations to carry India's message on terrorism. However, this move had irked the Congress leadership.
ALSO READ - Shashi Tharoor to skip key Congress meet over 'insult' during Rahul Gandhi's recent Kochi visit
