Have some 'issues' with party, will take them up with leadership: Shashi Tharoor
_vb_54.jpeg)
Kozhikode (PTI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said he has some "issues" with the party which he would take up with the leadership, but asserted that he has never violated the organisation's stated positions in Parliament.
Any internal differences should be discussed within the organisation and not through the media, he said.
His remarks come amid reports that Tharoor is upset over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi not adequately acknowledging his presence at a recent event in Kochi and over alleged repeated attempts by state party leaders to sideline him.
"All I can say is that there are issues which I need to take up with my own party leadership and not in a public forum…I will be going to Delhi for Parliament and I will get an opportunity, I believe, to make my concerns very clear to the party leadership and get their viewpoint… have a proper conversation."
"I am in Congress for the past 17 years. Let's not go too far…as far as I am concerned, whatever has gone wrong, needs to be addressed and it will be addressed in an appropriate forum," he told PTI Videos.
Speaking to reporters here, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said he had informed the Congress leadership about his inability to attend a party meeting.
He said that some reports about him might be true, while others could be false.
Tharoor explained that he wanted to attend a literature festival and that continuous travel was difficult.
"However, I will certainly attend all party activities in Parliament, and at that time I can meet the party leadership," he said.
Responding to a question on alleged unfair treatment at a party event in Kochi, Tharoor said he would not comment on it.
He also said that he wanted to exhibit his book on Sree Narayana Guru at the literature festival.
Recalling an earlier instance, he said he had once been unable to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival due to a political engagement.
Earlier, answering questions during a session at the Kerala Literature Festival here, Tharoor said he had taken a strong stand on 'Operation Sindoor' and remained "unapologetic," about it.
Explaining his position, Tharoor said that as an observer, commentator and writer, he had written a newspaper column after the Pahalgam terror attack, stating that it should not go unpunished and that there should be a kinetic response.
He said that while India is focused on development, it should not be dragged into a prolonged conflict with Pakistan, and that any action should be limited to targeting terrorist camps.
Tharoor said that to his surprise, the Indian government did exactly what he had recommended.
"How could I be expected to criticise it when I myself recommended it. I supported it fully throughout Operation Sindoor and afterwards," he said.
When the government sent him abroad as part of a multi-party delegation over Operation Sindoor, his party, for some reason, did not like it.
"You can speak to them and find out," he said
Tharoor said it was Jawaharlal Nehru who posed the famous question: "Who lives if India dies."
"When India is at stake, when India’s security and its place in the world are involved, India comes first," he said.
He added that political parties may have differences as part of the process of building a better India, but when national interests are involved, India must prevail.
Terrorists had gunned down 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in April 2025, sending shockwaves across the country. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, a precision military offensive targeting terror launchpads in Pakistan.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that Tharoor continues to be an integral part of the party and that he had informed the leadership in advance about his inability to attend the party meeting.
“He is not someone who stays away from party programmes. He had informed the party about the reasons for not attending the meeting,” Chennithala said.
He said that unlike him, Tharoor is not only a politician but also a writer and author who is engaged at the international level.
“He is not a full-time party worker. He is also a writer and a public speaker who is engaged in events in India and abroad. We are full-time party workers and can give priority to party events,” he said.
Chennithala said that no one could distance Tharoor from the party.
Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph also said that Tharoor had informed the party leadership about his absence in advance and that no controversy should be created over his absence.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi court acquits activist Medha Patkar in defamation case filed by LG V K Saxena
New Delhi (PTI): A court here on Saturday acquitted social activist Medha Patkar in a criminal defamation case filed by Delhi L-G V K Saxena, saying the prosecution failed to prove that she made the alleged defamatory statements during a television programme in 2006.
The complaint was filed by Saxena, then president of the National Council for Civil Liberties, alleging that Patkar had defamed him during a TV programme.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Raghav Sharma, while hearing the case, said the complainant had failed to produce legally admissible evidence to establish that Patkar had made the impugned statements.
According to the complaint, Patkar had allegedly claimed during the programme that Saxena and his NGO had received civil contracts connected with the Sardar Sarovar project, an allegation Saxena denied and termed defamatory.
The court said the material on record showed that Patkar was not a panellist on the programme and that only a short pre-recorded video clip of her was played during the telecast.
"It is important to note that neither the reporter who actually recorded the audio-video nor any person who had seen the accused making the impugned statements has been examined as a witness.
"It is also crucial to note that the clip played in the programme/show appears to be only a very short clipping from an interview or press conference of the accused," the judge said.
The court noted that to establish anything in the case, it is essential to produce the entire video and audio of the press conference before the court about the alleged defamatory remarks given by the accused.
"Without examining the entire clip or footage of that interview, no determination can be made regarding the speech of the accused," the judge said.
The court said that Saxena failed to place on record the original video footage or the recording device that allegedly captured the defamatory remarks, and as a result, the statements attributed to Patkar could not be established.
"The only document capable of proving that the accused made the impugned statements would be the original electronic device in which such statements were recorded," the court said, adding that neither the device nor a valid secondary copy was placed on record.
The case was filed before a court in Ahmedabad. It was transferred to Delhi in 2010 on the orders of the Supreme Court.
In the absence of legally admissible evidence proving publication of defamatory statements by Patkar, the court acquitted her of the charge under IPC Section 500 (defamation).
In August 2025, in a separate defamation case filed by VK Saxena, the Supreme Court confirmed Patkar's conviction ordered by the trial court and set aside a penalty of Rs 1 lakh imposed on her in the case.
_vb_37.jpeg)
_vb_52.jpeg)
_vb_76.jpeg)