Shashi Tharoor's selfie with BJP leader goes viral amid reports of rift with Congress, ‘Good to exchange words…’

Amid ongoing reports of a rift with the Congress, now senior party leader Shashi Tharoor has posted a selfie on X with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and UK's Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds. Sharing the post on Tuesday, he called the revival of the “long-stalled FTA negotiations” most welcome.

Taking to X, Thiruvananthapuram MP wrote, “Good to exchange words with Jonathan Reynolds, Britain’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade, in the company of his Indian counterpart, Commerce & Industry Minister ⁦@PiyushGoyal⁩. The long-stalled FTA negotiations have been revived, which is most welcome [sic].”

Shashi Tharoor has reportedly drawn the ire of Congress’ high command for praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his US visit. Recently, he also applauded the Kerala Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s industrial policy. 

In an article in The New Indian Express, Tharoor highlighted the government's achievements in fostering a positive startup ecosystem and introducing new industrial policies. Tharoor on Sunday clarified that he did not praise the CPI(M)- led government in Kerala, but instead highlighted the state's progress in the start-up sector.

In addition, in a one-on-one meeting with Rahul Gandhi last week, Tharoor reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over being sidelined by the party at both the state and national levels. According to reports, Rahul Gandhi had no answer to his concerns. 

Is Shashi Tharoor looking for ‘other options’?

Recently, in a podcast with Indian Express Malayalam, Shashi Tharoor shared some suggestions for the Congress ahead of the Kerala Assembly election, which will be held in 2026.

Tharoor also said that the rival BJP beats the Congress in having strong organisational set-up within the party. The Thiruvananthapuram MP said if the Congress did not need his services, he had other “options.”

On February 23, the Congress MP refused to comment when asked if "all is well between you and the Congress." Instead, he asked reporters to rather focus on the "important" India-Pakistan match. A day prior, he shared a quote from English poet Thomas Gray: "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." Many reports claimed that his social media post had a "cryptic" message amid the buzz of a rift between him and Congress.

(With inputs from agencies)