NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday acknowledged having differences with some in party’s leadership and revealed that he did not campaign in the Nilambur Assembly byelection as he was not invited by the Congress for it.“I do have differences of opinion with some in the Congress leadership. You know what I am talking about, as some of those issues are there in the public domain and have been reported by you (media),” Tharoor told reporters. “I did not campaign for the Congress candidate for the Nilambur byelection because I did not get the invitation from the party for the same.”While Tharoor refrained from disclosing whether the disagreement was with the state or central leadership, he stressed the importance of internal dialogue over public discourse. “I have been working in Congress for the past 16 years. I have some differences of opinion with the party, and I will discuss them inside the party… Today I don’t want to speak on it. I need to meet and talk, let the time come, and I will discuss it,” he said.Tharoor reaffirmed his allegiance to the party and its cadre and said, “Congress party, its values, and its workers are dear to me. I have been working with them for the past 16 years, and I have seen their commitment, dedication and idealism.” Asked again about the nature of his dispute, Tharoor deflected, saying, “Today is not the time to talk about those issues as the polling is ongoing, where I wish to see my friend (Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath) win it. Some of my disagreements with party leadership are reported in the media, so it cannot be hidden.”Tharoor also praised the Congress workers and the candidate in Nilambur. “Our Congress workers worked hard and honestly there in Nilambur. We have an excellent candidate. I wish to see the result of their work,” he said.The byelection was triggered by the resignation of PV Anvar, an independent MLA backed by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), who later joined the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) following a fallout with the ruling alliance.Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath expressed optimism about the outcome, citing local issues. “There will be a good victory in this election. For the last nine years, the state government has neglected the Nilambur area. Many tribals have not been rehabilitated. There is also human-animal conflict here,” Shoukath told ANI.(With inputs from agencies)
