Wearing a shawl with a golden border on the top of a red kurta and sandalwood paste (chandanakuri) on his forehead, Shashi Tharoor spoke about the need to reform the Congress party. The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram was dressed-up for an interview with Malayalam news channel Asianet News on the day of Vijayadashami. It is hard to imagine any other leader from the Kerala unit of the Congress turning up for a TV interview dressed in this attire which was a way for dominant caste men in Kerala’s feudal past to distinguish themselves from the crowd. Tharoor’s sartorial choice for the TV interview sits perfectly with the larger image he has cultivated for himself as somebody who is a cut above the rest. This elitist image, many Congress leaders told TNM, could well be summed up as the major reason for the distance between the party’s state heavyweights and Tharoor as the three-time MP prepares to contest the election for Congress President.
Back in 2019, when he contested the Lok Sabha elections from Thiruvananthapuram for the third consecutive term Tharoor, who belongs to the Nair community, had displayed this dominant caste pride. 'My mother and both sisters joined our paryadanam (campaign) in Vattiyoorkavu. BJP pls note: three proud and strong Nair women!” he had tweeted.
The Congress in Kerala is divided over Tharoor. While most senior leaders of the party have been careful to say that they aren’t against Tharoor personally, but view Kharge as a better candidate, Tharoor has got unexpected support from a few quarters.
Tharoor has been representing Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha from 2009. The same image that has distanced him from his party colleagues in the state seems to have won the hearts of voters in his constituency who still seem smitten by the UN diplomat turned politician. This is proving to be his greatest undoing as he angles for a larger role in the party and in national politics. Former Kerala PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) Chief K Muraleedharan was blunt in his comparison of Tharoor with Mallikharjun Kharge who is the only other contestant for the top party post. He flatly dismissed Tharoor’s bid saying he lacks the connection to the masses that Mallikarjun Kharge enjoys.
The latest to join the group against Tharoor from Kerala was former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala who said on Wednesday that Tharoor lacks the quality to become the president compared to Kharge. What Thaoor is lacking as per these leaders is the connection with the masses and that he has not become a leader with a pan Kerala appeal.
A majority of Tharoor’s Congress counterparts in Kerala are known for their rootedness and ability to mingle with the masses. Most have risen through the ranks through the students and youth wing of the Congress and come with a rich understanding of ground level politics. Former Congress Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for example is known for his ability to draw massive crowds. His biggest trump card was that he could recall dozens of ordinary voters by their name. Oommen Chandy and his contemporaries like most of their predecessors have also been well connected to the voters, have a deep understanding about regional diversities, not solely of their constituencies.
Tharoor, on his part, has been nurturing his international image of a former diplomat, national image of a writer and that of a cosmopolitan politician who is sophisticated, but has not been successful in becoming a mass leader. Another reason for the Congress senior leadership in Kerala openly siding with Kharge is the wide notion that the Karnataka leader is the Gandhi family’s candidate. The Congress in Kerala has been riddled with factionalism for decades, but when it comes to loyalty, the state unit and its leaders ranging from Karunakaran to AK Antony and Oommen Chandy have largely been Gandhi loyalists.
Tharoor has however received the support of a few leaders, especially from the younger crop. They believe that much of the resentment against Tharoor also stems from the fact that he has kept away from the state factionalism and has taken positions that are not in tune with the state unit’s stand. His endorsement of the Adani-Vizhinjam port, and his open praise for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan are two instances where he locked horns with the state leadership.