Congress counters latest Tharoor controversy by playing it down

Tharoor said the party is unlikely to win 2026 assembly polls with its traditional vote bank

- KS SREEJITH @T'Puram

AS SHASHI Tharoor continues to march to the beat of his own drum with repeated controversial statements, there is a growing feeling within both the Congress and the UDF that enough is enough. However, the state Congress leadership has conspicuously decided not to succumb to any provocation on the part of Tharoor which might ultimately give a political edge to the four-time Thiruvananthapuram MP.

"If Tharoor wants to leave the Congress, let him do so," a senior UDF leader said on condition of anonymity. "He has become ambitious and opportunistic. I think if he leaves the party it will be good for both the Congress and the UDF. There was a time when we thought that he could become a consensus candidate for chief minister if the power struggle between some leaders in the party continued unabated. At this point, we cannot even think about it," he told TNIE.