THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After his praise for the LDF government's new industrial policy in an article in 'The New Indian Express' triggered a controversy, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor came up with two Facebook posts acknowledging the contributions of the previous Congress-led governments in the industrial sector.
Tharoor said the controversy over his article has left him "surprised" as he had stated his views as an MP only on the "change in the state's industrial climate owing to the growth of start-ups". The four-time MP said he was proud to say that it was former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy of the Congress who paved the way for such a transformation.
"It was owing to the creation of the Startup Mission and Startup Village by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy that such developments happened. The present (LDF) government has naturally taken it forward," Tharoor said.
Stating that his article was not a comprehensive assessment of the state's total economic situation, Tharoor said the state was still facing a grave economic crisis. Increasing unemployment, the exodus of youth to foreign countries, the crisis in the agriculture sector and the record debt of the state were issues that would need a lot of time to address
"However, if any hopeful change is seen in any sector, it would be petty not to acknowledge it," Tharoor said, justifying his views expressed in the column. The Congress MP said his views were based on the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report and the statistics provided in it.
Tharoor urged his critics to first read the article before commenting on the matter. He added that his article did not touch upon politics but was only focused on how to overcome the economic crisis that the state was facing.
In an earlier Facebook post, Tharoor had acknowledged the contributions of former Industries Minister and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader PK Kunhalikutty in the state's industrial sector. "It was during the tenure of former Chief Minister AK Antony that a first-of-its-kind Global Investment Meet was held in the state under the leadership of the then Industries Minister PK Kunhalikuty," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.
Both the national and state leadership of the Congress had reacted sharply to Tharoor's article. Meanwhile, the CPM leadership came out in support of him.