New Delhi

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday sought to put to rest speculation about differences with the party leadership after meeting Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, saying “all is good” and that he is on the “same page” with them.

The meeting, held in Kharge’s chamber in the Parliament House complex, lasted over an hour. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal was also present, sources said.

“We had a discussion with my two party leaders, the LoP and the Congress president. It was a very good, constructive and positive discussion,” Tharoor told reporters after the meeting.

“All is good and we are moving together on the same page,” he said.

Responding to questions on whether the issue of the chief ministerial face for the upcoming Kerala Assembly polls was discussed, Tharoor said it was never the subject of discussion.

“I am not interested in being a candidate for anything. I am already an MP and have the trust of my voters in Thiruvananthapuram. My responsibility is to represent their interests in Parliament,” he said.

Tharoor said he was satisfied with the interaction with the top leadership.

Speculation about his discontent had surfaced last week after he skipped a key party strategy meeting for the Kerala elections. Sources had indicated that he was unhappy over what he perceived as repeated attempts by state leaders to sideline him, with the immediate trigger being Rahul Gandhi not acknowledging his presence at the ‘Maha Panchayath’ event in Kochi on January 19.

At the event, Gandhi reportedly acknowledged several senior leaders on the dais but did not mention Tharoor, a four-time MP and one of the three Congress Working Committee members from Kerala.

Tharoor has also faced criticism within the party in the past over his comments on India-Pakistan relations following the Pahalgam attack, which some leaders said differed from the Congress line. Tharoor has maintained that there was no divergence and that foreign policy should have bipartisan consensus.

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Kharge on Friday chaired a meeting with Kerala Congress leaders to fine-tune the party’s strategy for the upcoming Assembly polls.