The Congress Core Group headed by Gandhi would be meeting at the prime minister's residence to take a call on Tharoor's fate, party sources said.
Prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi are meeting here this evening to decide on the issue of continuance of Union minister Shashi Tharoor in the government against the backdrop of the IPL Kochi ownership controversy.
The Congress Core Group headed by Gandhi, who is also the UPA chairperson, would be meeting at the prime minister's residence to take a call on Tharoor's fate, party sources said. Singh returned from his two-nation tour yesterday.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, defence minister AK Antony, home minister P Chidambaram and political secretary to Congress President Ahmed Patel are other members of the key group which deals with major issues.
The party has already distanced itself from Tharoor on the IPL issue, saying it was for him to explain. The minister's statement in the Lok Sabha on Friday did not appear to have changed the position of the party.
The minister of state for external affairs is embroiled in a controversy resulting from allocation of sweat equity valued at Rs 70 crore by the IPL Kochi franchise to his friend Sunanda Pushkar. However, he has denied the charge that he intended to get any financial gain for him or his friend.
The opposition is gunning for the removal of 54-year-old first-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram on the ground that he misused his office to get pecuniary gains for his friend.
Senior leaders LK Advani and Prakash Karat yesterday joined the chorus for Tharoor's sacking.
The entire opposition paralysed Parliament on Friday demanding his removal and wanted a statement from the prime minister on the issue and not a clarification from Tharoor. The opposition has given enough hints that it would be unrelenting on the demand for Tharoor's removal.
A senior Congress leader said nothing has been decided on the issue and "all options are open".
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