PALAKKAD: A senior AICC leader has sought to downplay the controversy surrounding Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s recent article, emphasising that the Thiruvananthapuram MP wrote the article in his capacity as a columnist.Reacting to the developments,P V Mohan, AICC secretary in charge of Kerala-in-charge of Kerala, clarified that the party respects Tharoor’s right to express his views, given its democratic values.
However, he ‘expected’ that during the closed-door interaction, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi conveyed concerns raised by leaders from the state to Tharoor, who reportedly understood their reservations.
In the article, titled “Changing Kerala: Lumbering Jumbo to a Lithe Tiger,” published in TNIE, Tharoor highlighted the Kerala government’s achievements in fostering a positive start-up ecosystem and introducing new industrial policies.
The article sparked a political debate after Industries Minister P Rajeeve shared it on social media, thanking Tharoor for acknowledging the government’s initiatives.
The ruling CPM viewed this as a rare moment of bipartisan appreciation, while several Congress leaders reportedly expressed discomfort over Tharoor’s praise of the Left government’s policies.
While refraining from pinpointing specific issues, Mohan hinted at multiple flaws in Tharoor’s article, suggesting that party members were dissatisfied with certain aspects of its content.