Shashi Tharoor posts selfie with Piyush Goyal amid buzz over rift with Congress

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor with Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and British Secretary of State for Trade Jonathan Reynolds

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday morning posted on X a photograph of himself with Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and British Secretary of State for Trade Jonathan Reynolds.

“Good to exchange words with Jonathan Reynolds, Britain’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade, in the company of his Indian counterpart, Commerce & Industry Minister @PiyushGoyal. The long-stalled FTA negotiations have been revived, which is most welcome,” Tharoor posted on X.

India and the UK have resumed talks on a potential Free Trade Agreement (FTA) after nearly a year. The announcement was made by India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and the UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, in New Delhi.

Good to exchange words with Jonathan Reynolds, Britains Secretary of State for Business and Trade, in the company of his Indian counterpart, Commerce & Industry Minister @PiyushGoyal. The long-stalled FTA negotiations have been revived, which is most welcome pic.twitter.com/VmCxEOkzc2

Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 25, 2025

On Monday, India and the UK resumed talks on a potential Free Trade Agreement (FTA) after nearly a year. The announcement was made by Goyal and Reynolds in New Delhi. The agreement consists of 26 chapters, covering goods, services, investments, and intellectual property rights, with 21 of them already finalised. While business mobility will be discussed, immigration is not part of the negotiations, in line with other trade agreements.

Four-time MP Shashi Tharoor has recently said if the Congress does not want him, he has other fish to fry. Tharoor reportedly upset his party by praising the CPM's policies in Kerala and the state's growth. His praises for Prime Minister Narendra Modi over meeting with US President Donald Trump had also drawn criticism.

"If the party wants me then I will be there for the party. If not, I have my own things to do. You should not think that I don't have any option to spend time. I have options. I have my books, speeches, invitations from across the world for talks," he said.

His recent meeting with Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi also fuelled speculation about his future within the party.

Tharoor also refused to comment on reports of rifts between him and Congress and asked mediapersons to instead watch the India vs Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy match on Sunday. "No comments at all. Go watch the match. It's an important match today," he told reporters at Delhi airport.