Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, was notably missing from the Congress Lok Sabha MPs’ meeting chaired by Rahul Gandhi, for the third time in a row.
According to ANI, he had informed the leadership in advance about his unavailability. Chandigarh MP Manish Tiwari was also absent from the discussion.
A look at Tharoor’s X timeline shows that he was in Kolkata on Thursday night, attending an event hosted by the Prabha Khaitan Foundation.
“I’m in Kolkata today for the wedding of my long-term aide John Koshy, and the birthday of my sister,” his X post read.
I’m in Kolkata today for the wedding of my long-term aide John Koshy, and the birthday of my sister @SmitaTharoor. In between we are squeezing in a literary conversation with @TedhiLakeer as well! All welcome: pic.twitter.com/yhNy4UeCVq
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 11, 2025
The development comes just days after he clarified on December 1 that he had not deliberately skipped the Congress strategic group meeting held a day earlier. At the time, Tharoor explained that he was mid-flight while returning from Kerala when the meeting took place.
Responding to questions over his absence, the Lok Sabha MP said, “I did not skip it; I was on a plane, coming from Kerala.”
Tharoor’s non-attendance at the earlier meeting, chaired by Sonia Gandhi to plan the party’s strategy for the Winter Session, had sparked conversations within political circles. The interest was further amplified because he had also missed a Congress meeting on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue, which he had attributed to illness.
According to Tharoor’s office, the MP had been travelling with his 90-year-old mother on a later flight from Kerala, making it impossible for him to reach Delhi on time. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal also skipped the meeting due to his commitments related to local body election campaigning in Kerala.
Meanwhile, Tharoor recently faced criticism from some colleagues after he became the only Congress leader invited to the state banquet hosted by the President in honour of visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera appeared to take a pointed swipe at him, remarking, “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 absences from key internal discussions have increasingly become a talking point within the party, prompting speculation and debate among Congress leaders.
