'Sheer Speculation': Shashi Tharoor Rejects 'Fanciful' Reports Of His Meeting With Rahul Gandhi

Last Updated:January 30, 2026, 13:01 IST

Tharoor rejected "fanciful accounts" of his meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, which came amid strained relations between the senior Congress MP and the party.

Shashi Tharoor met Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday. (Photo: X)

Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor, who met Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday amid strained relations with the party leadership, decried what he called “fanciful accounts" of the meeting and stressed that most of the reports were “sheer speculation".

In a post on X, Tharoor referred to media reports on what was discussed behind closed doors during his meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, stressing that only the three of them were present in the room and none of them had spoken to the media in detail.

“I have been reading fanciful accounts of who said what in my meeting with @INCIndia President @kharge and LokSabha LoP @RahulGandhi. Let me stress that there were only three of us in the room, and none of us has spoken to the media in such detail," he said.

“My only comments have been those made publicly; everything else is sheer speculation. I deplore this kind of irresponsible journalism, which gives authentic reporting a bad name."

Tharoor had earlier described the meeting as a “very good, constructive, positive discussion" and insisted that the leadership was “moving together on the same page." He also firmly rejected suggestions that the talks involved any discussion about him seeking higher office in Kerala.

“All is good, and we are moving together on the same page. What more can I say? I have always campaigned for the party, where have I not campaigned?" the Thiruvananthapuram MP said. He also thanked Kharge and Gandhi for the “warm and constructive discussion".

The meeting was held at Kharge’s office in the Parliament complex amid reports of differences between Tharoor and the party high command. These reports gained momentum after Tharoor skipped a crucial meeting of the Congress with top party leaders from Kerala in Delhi to plan strategies for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Tharoor had been at the centre of criticism from several top Congress leaders, notably for his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India’s Operation Sindoor. He was also reportedly upset over not being directly greeted by Rahul Gandhi while several leaders were acknowledged on stage at the party’s event in Kochi on January 19.

News politics 'Sheer Speculation': Shashi Tharoor Rejects 'Fanciful' Reports Of His Meeting With Rahul Gandhi

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