New Delhi: “All is nice.”

With these phrases, a smiling Shashi Tharoor emerged from a two-hour assembly with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Chief of Opposition Rahul Gandhi at Parliament Home on Thursday, signalling that the long-festering misgivings between the 2 sides might lastly have been resolved.

Tharoor’s absence from a gathering of the Congress excessive command with its Kerala management final week had deepened issues inside the celebration that its ties with the Thiruvananthapuram MP might be nearing a breaking level. He had let it’s recognized via folks near him that he felt slighted when Rahul Gandhi didn’t acknowledge his presence on the dais at a celebration occasion in Kochi on 19 January.

An upset Tharoor selected to go to a literary pageant quite than fly to Delhi to attend the assembly to overview preparations for the upcoming meeting polls. Publicly, he maintained he would elevate his points in acceptable boards of the celebration. That ultimately led to Thursday’s assembly, Congress sources stated, crediting celebration basic secretary (organisation) Okay.C. Venugopal with having organised it.

Due to @INCIndia President @kharge ji and LS LoP @RahulGandhi ji for a heat and constructive dialogue in the present day on a variety of topics. We’re all on the identical web page as we transfer ahead within the service of the folks of India. pic.twitter.com/T5l8jqkhUT

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 29, 2026

Sources stated each Kharge and Rahul assured Tharoor that they think about him an vital voice within the celebration and worth his contributions through the years. Additionally it is learnt that Rahul informed Tharoor his providers are important as Kerala heads to polls, and made it clear that his opinion could be taken into consideration in all decision-making.

“Due to @INCIndia President @kharge ji and LS LoP @RahulGandhi ji for a heat and constructive dialogue in the present day on a variety of topics. We’re all on the identical web page as we transfer ahead within the service of the folks of India,” Tharoor posted on X after the assembly, reciprocating the heat proven to him by the celebration excessive command.

Requested if he would marketing campaign for the celebration, Tharoor responded, “I’ve at all times campaigned for the celebration – the place have I not campaigned?” He additionally dismissed solutions that he was aspiring to be the celebration’s chief ministerial face within the election.

“No, that was by no means the problem. I’m not interested by being a candidate for something. In the intervening time, I’m already an MP, and I’ve the belief of my voters from Thiruvananthapuram. I’ve to take care of their pursuits in Parliament; that’s my job,” he stated.

Tharoor skipping final week’s assembly had come as a shock for a lot of, as after months of a visual and widening rift, there have been indicators all through December and January that his relationship with the Congress had turned a nook, with him attending celebration occasions and conferences in Kerala.

He had additionally struck a conciliatory observe, insisting he had by no means deviated from the celebration line besides as regards to Operation Sindoor.

“I’ve at no stage violated any of the Congress’ positions in Parliament; the one challenge on which there was public disagreement on precept is about Operation Sindoor, the place I did take a really sturdy stand, and I stay unapologetic about that,” the MP had stated on 24 January, responding to a query from the viewers on the Kerala Literature Pageant in Kozhikode.

(Edited by Gitanjali Das)

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