Smarting from Lok Sabha, Delhi, Haryana and Maharashtra election defeats, the Congress in Kerala expressed confidence that it will defeat "oppressive and communal fronts" in the state. Among the notable attendees was Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, whose recent statements sparked rumours of a rift between him and the senior rung of party leaders.
The top brass of the Congress held a brainstorming session on Friday with party leaders from Kerala to discuss a strategy and the way forward ahead of next year's assembly elections and issued a strong warning to those speaking against the party's interests. Sharing snippets from the meeting, the party's state unit wrote on X, "Change is inevitable in Kerala. Congress has built the development paradigm and welfare model of Kerala, and we will do everything possible to bring our UDF to power."
During the meeting that lasted around three hours, party leaders discussed the way ahead for the 2026 Kerala Assembly polls, while issuing a clear indication that any personal statements will invite strong action. This assumes significance after backlash over an article in a newspaper by Mr Tharoor that praised the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in the state for boosting the investment climate.
Later, Mr Tharoor's remarks in a video clip of a podcast quoted him as saying that "if the Congress doesn't want him, he has other options". He later clarified that his remarks were misconstrued. Mr Tharoor also shared a selfie with Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Britain's Secretary of State Jonathan Reynolds, which intensified buzz surrounding his remarks regarding Congress.
Senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala said the Congress will fight together and there are no differences. "Everybody will be united and will fight for the people of Kerala as the government of Kerala has totally failed on all fronts. We will fight and win back and UDF government will be installed in 2026," Chennithala said.
Congress in-charge for party affairs in Kerala Deepa Dasmunshi said, "The media is giving a wrong impression that there is no unity in the Congress party in Kerala, which is untrue. Everyone here has expressed strongly against LDF and against BJP. The leaders are strongly united and they will speak in univocal voice."
Besides party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kerala Congress chief K Sudhakaran and CLP leader in Kerala assembly V D Satheesan were present at the meeting. Chennithala, party's chief whip and MP K Suresh, besides Mr Tharoor, former Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P J Kurien and Kerala Mahila Congress president and MP Jebi Mather also participated in the deliberations.
Later, in a post on X, Mr Tharoor said, "A good meeting of Kerala Congress leaders today with Congress president Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Deepa Dasmunshi ended in a strong affirmation of party unity as we head into the election season."
