Delhi Confidential: Missed Call

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday missed the Congress Parliamentary Strategy Group meeting at CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s residence, further widening the gulf between him and the party high command. Almost all senior leaders of the Congress, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, were present at the meeting called ahead of the Budget Session starting Wednesday. Sources said Tharoor, who was in Dubai to attend a literature festival, returned to Delhi around 8 pm on Tuesday. A senior Congress leader said his absence at the meet was noted by the Congress high command.

Repent, Repeat

The social media team of Congress’s Kerala unit has courted controversy yet again. Last year, its head V T Balram, a former MLA, had to quit following a backlash over a post linking Bihar with bidis. This time, it took a dig at IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti after he was awarded the Padma Shri in the science and engineering category. “Congratulations to V Kamakoti on receiving the honour. The nation recognises your bleeding edge research on Cow Urine at IIT Madras, taking Gomutra to world stage,” it posted on X. The post got a retort from Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu who praised Kamakoti credentials, saying “he richly deserves the honour”.