Shashi Tharoor Misses Out On Crucial Congress Meeting, Gives The Most Peculiar Excuse ‘I was on a…. ‘

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor stated on Monday that he was on a flight returning from Kerala at the time of the Congress strategy group meeting, which was conducted the day before, and that he did not purposefully miss it.

What Did Shashi Tharoor Say About Missing Out On Crucial Congress Meeting?

The Lok Sabha MP responded to enquiries about his absence by saying, “I did not skip it; I was on a plane, coming from Kerala.” Given that he had previously missed the Congress meeting on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue due to illness, Tharoor’s absence from Sunday’s meeting which was chaired by Sonia Gandhi to discuss the party’s strategy for the Winter Session had attracted attention in political circles.

The MP was unable to get to Delhi in time because he was taking a later flight from Kerala with his 90-year-old mother, according to Tharoor’s office. Due to his commitments to local body election campaigns in Kerala, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal was also unable to attend. Nonetheless, the Congress is now debating Tharoor’s frequent absences from important party discussions. Some party leaders questioned his choice to go to a government function that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was speaking at the day after he had missed the SIR meeting.

Earlier social media tweets by Tharoor that praised the prime minister and sparked backlash from party members added to the controversy. Speaking to ANI earlier, the Congress leader Sandeep Dixit said,”Shashi Tharoor’s problem is that I don’t think he knows a lot about the country… If, according to you, someone is doing good for the country by going against the Congress’s policies, then you should follow those policies… Why are you in Congress? Is it only because you are a MP? … If you really feel that the BJP or PM Modi’s strategies are working better than the party you are in, then you should give an explanation. If you are not giving one, you are a hypocrite.”

Congresswoman Supriya Srinate added, “I didn’t find anything worth appreciating in the speech (of PM Modi).” I think the PM must answer a number of things. He was at an event of a newspaper. He ought to explain his issues with fair journalism. He ought to have explained to us why he disapproves of people who speak and act honestly. So, I didn’t see any reason to appreciate him. How Shashi Tharoor found one is beyond me. It seemed like a trivial speech to me. There, he also blasted Congress. PM thinks of Congress day and night. This is amazing.” The party has begun to address Tharoor’s persistent absenteeism from important Congress gatherings. His complicated relationship with the Congress leadership and his occasional positive remarks about PM Modi are also well known.

(With Inputs From ANI)

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