Shashi Tharoor
NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday said he was absent from the party’s “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod” rally as he was abroad due to a prior commitment.Also Read | ‘Always been more than one tendency in party’: Shashi Tharoor shares post comparing his ideas with Rahul Gandhi; calls it a ‘thoughtful analysis’The former diplomat, who has recently made headlines for skipping Congress meetings and praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, added that there are “no issues” from his side.”I was abroad yesterday. It was a commitment I had made six months ago. From my side, everything is fine,” he told news agency ANI.Also Read | ‘Loyalty undermines democracy’: Shashi Tharoor calls out leader worshipping – veiled jibe at Congress?Earlier, Tharoor had also skipped a meeting of Congress Lok Sabha MPs chaired by Lok Sabha leader of opposition and former party chief Rahul Gandhi. According to party sources, the Thiruvananthapuram MP had informed in advance about his unavailability. Another senior leader, Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari, was also absent from the meeting.As per posts on Tharoor’s X timeline, he was at an event in Kolkata on Sunday night.Also Read | Congress vs Tharoor: MP skips party’s key huddle; cites travel hurdleOn Sunday, the Congress held its “Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod” rally at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, heightening its campaign against alleged electoral irregularities. The grand old party intensified its campaign over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.Also Read | ‘Historic’: Shashi Tharoor lauds BJP’s performance in Kerala local body pollsTharoor, who joined the Congress in 2009, has in recent months taken positions that differ from the party’s official line on several issues.For instance, he was recently chosen by the Centre to lead one of the all-party delegations that visited several countries following Operation Sindoor in May, despite not being nominated by the Congress.