Did not skip it; was on a plane: Shashi Tharoor on missing Congress party meeting

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday clarified that he did not intentionally skip the Congress strategic group meeting held a day earlier, stating that he was on a flight returning from Kerala when the meeting took place.

Responding to questions on his absence, the Lok Sabha MP said, "I did not skip it; I was on a plane, coming from Kerala."

Tharoor's absence from Sunday's meeting -- chaired by Sonia Gandhi to discuss the party's strategy for the Winter Session -- had drawn attention within political circles, especially given that he had also missed the Congress meeting on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue earlier, citing ill health.

According to Tharoor's office, the MP was travelling with his 90-year-old mother on a flight from Kerala, making it impossible for him to reach Delhi in time.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal was also unable to attend due to his engagements in local body election campaigning in Kerala.

However, Tharoor's repeated absence from key party deliberations has become a point of discussion within the Congress. His decision to attend a government event addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day after he missed the SIR meeting had triggered questions from some party leaders.

Adding to the controversy were earlier posts on Tharoor's social media praising the Prime Minister, which drew criticism from within the party's ranks.