Shashi Tharoor skips Congress MPs meet , sources say party was informed of absence

New Delhi [India], December 12 (ANI): Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor skipped the meeting of Congress LS MPs chaired by Rahul Gandhi. According to party sources Tharoor had already informed the party about his unavailability, another senior Congress leader and Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari was also absent in the meeting. Tewari also informed the party leadership off his inability to attend due to personal reasons.

According to Shashi Tharoor's X timeline he was at an event hosted by Prabha Khaitan Foundation in Kolkata last night. 

Earlier, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on December 1 clarified that he did not intentionally skip the Congress strategic group meeting held a day earlier, stating that he was on a flight returning from Kerala when the meeting took place.

Responding to questions on his absence, the Lok Sabha MP said, "I did not skip it; I was on a plane, coming from Kerala."

Tharoor's absence from the meeting, chaired by Sonia Gandhi to discuss the party's strategy for the Winter Session--had drawn attention within political circles, especially given that he had also missed the Congress meeting on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue earlier, citing ill health.

According to Tharoor's office, the MP was travelling with his 90-year-old mother on a later flight from Kerala, making it impossible for him to reach Delhi in time. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal was also unable to attend due to his engagements in local body election campaigning in Kerala.

Tharoor had also invited the ire of his party colleagues when he was the lone Congress representative invited to attend the state banquet hosted by the President for visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera had taken a subtle jibe at Tharoor saying, "Everyone's conscience has a voice. When my leaders aren't invited, but I am, we should understand why the game is being played, who is playing the game, and why we shouldn't be part of it."

Tharoor's repeated absence from key party deliberations has become a point of discussion within the Congress. (ANI)