Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 28 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who has highlighted the disagreements with the current party leadership, on Saturday responded to a social media post he made earlier amid the visible tensions between him and some in the party, saying that if there are issues he would discuss them privately.
"I am not going to get into political issues here. If there are issues to discuss, they would be discussed privately. When the time comes, I shall do so," Tharoor, who was speaking at the Ahmedabad Management Association Program, told reporters.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP earlier made a cryptic post after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge took a veiled jibe at Shashi Tharoor, saying he is in the Congress Working Committee "because his English is very good".
Speaking at the event, the Congress MP discussed his recent visit to Russia and updated attendees on his meeting with counterparts, where he reiterated the message that the multi-party parliamentary delegation had already conveyed to the leaders here.
"I was in Russia on a previously planned engagement. It was also an opportunity to touch base with my counterparts. In India, our Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee covers both the Upper House and the Lower House. In many other countries, each House has a different head, so I saw my counterparts in the Upper House and the Lower House. I also saw my old friend, the Russian Foreign Minister, but by and large, our message has been consistent. Fortunately, the delegation sent by our government had already been there and met these people, so my task was not a difficult one to reinforce the message. Russia has been an old and trusted friend of India for some time, and it's always good to maintain these relationships. I also did some public events there, interviews and interaction with students. So it was that kind of visit. None of the dramatic sort of James Bond stuff that people have been speculating about, nothing of that nature, no secret missions there," Tharoor said.
During his visit to Russia, he met several top Russian leaders, including the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (the Upper House) and also interacted with students.
Tharoor's remarks regarding his intentions to discuss certain issues with respect to his party come amid an apparent unease in his ties with some in the party leadership.
Kharge, who addressed a press conference slamming the Modi government, took another dig at Tharoor, saying, "Some people say Modi first, the country later".
Tharoor had recently praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a newspaper article.
"Shashi Tharoor's English is very good, that's why he has been taken in the CWC (Congress Working Committee). I supported this," Kharge said.
"But what I want to say is that all of us, the entire opposition, have come together and said we stand with our Army, our Army that is fighting, we are with them. We say nation first, but some people say Modi first and country later. What can we do about that?" he added.
However, the Congress chief sidestepped a question on Congress taking action against Tharoor. He also brushed aside a question asking whether the party is afraid of taking action against Tharoor.
Hours later, the Congress made a post on X that prominently carried a picture of a bird. "Don't ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one," the post read.