Back in 2007, when Shashi Tharoor resigned from the United Nations following his unsuccessful bid to become the eighth UN Secretary-General, he told reporters, "If I hadn't done it now, I would have done it at some point in the not too distant future." Tharoor made this decision after 29 years of service at the UN.
However, PTI had reported that before Tharoor submitted his resignation—and before Ban Ki-moon, the new UN Secretary-General, accepted it—Tharoor had hinted at the possibility of staying on. He had told the media that if Ban Ki-moon felt there was an "honourable role" for him, he might continue for another term. "Or if there is no meeting of minds, I will leave and continue to support the UN from outside," he had said.
In his political career in the post-UN phase also, Tharoor has sought “honourable roles” where he could contribute meaningfully to his party and country. And, in fact, over the last one and a half decades, he has been given some roles that fit his capacity.
But now, there are clear signs that the Thiruvananthapuram MP is deeply dissatisfied with no longer holding any such positions. Recently, he stirred controversy with remarks that could be interpreted as praise for both Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala. There are reasons to believe that via this controversy, Tharoor was signalling to the party leadership his growing frustration and the identity crisis he faces within the party.
Tharoor had aspired to be part of the Parliament leadership but was sidelined. He also has concerns that the Congress leadership is excluding him from major parliamentary debates, failing to utilize his renowned debating skills for the party's and the public's benefit. Adding to his discontent is his abrupt removal from the charge of the All India Professional Congress, an initiative he considers his own brainchild. AIPC was conceived from an eight-page concept note he wrote to Sonia Gandhi back in 2009. Notably, his hold in AIPC played a crucial role for Tharoor to earn a decent number of votes when he fought for the Congress President post against the Gandhi family loyalist Mallikarjun Kharge, who eventually emerged victorious.
Tharoor has already made it clear through multiple cryptic comments that he wouldn’t mind focusing on Kerala and positioning himself as a contender for the chief minister's post when the state assembly elections take place in 2026. There are many socio-economic forces in Kerala that would welcome Tharoor's emergence as a contender for the chief minister's post. However, it is highly unlikely that he could advance this ambition without the backing of the party’s high command. Notably, many senior Congress leaders from Kerala are opposed to such a scenario and will work to block any attempt by Tharoor to eye the CM post. Even in the recent controversy over his remarks, a majority of senior Congress leaders are displeased that Tharoor has neither faced disciplinary action nor retracted his comments, despite reportedly speaking to Rahul Gandhi. Meanwhile, Tharoor also remains unhappy about how things are proceeding.
This raises a pressing question: Will Tharoor forever stay in a party where he feels deprived of any “honourable” role, or will he make a bold move, much like he did at the end of his career as an international diplomat? Only time will tell.
