THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/MALAPPURAM/KOZHIKODE: Finding itself in an embarrassing situation after party MP Shashi Tharoor heaped praise on the Left-ruled Kerala, calling the state a model of economic innovation and sustainable growth, the Congress leadership launched an open attack on him, mocking and countering his views.
While several Congress leaders, including V D Satheesan, K C Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala, totally dismissed Tharoor’s arguments in his column in The New Indian Express that appeared on February 14, he, understandably, found support among the Left leadership.
Even as his views sparked uproar, Tharoor stuck to his position, saying the article was in Kerala’s interest.
In his column, Tharoor said Kerala has emerged as a dynamic centre for startups. He termed Industries Minister P Rajeeve’s claim that a business can be opened in just two minutes as an “astonishing development”.
Tharoor lauded the state’s improvement in Ease of Doing Business ranking and establishment of 2.9 lakh MSMEs under the government’s Year of Enterprise programme. Soon after the article appeared, Rajeeve shared it on social media, thanking Tharoor.
Brushing aside Tharoor’s comments, Leader of Opposition Satheesan said the party will examine the circumstances under which such claims were made.
“Kerala does not have a great industrial environment, though we aspire to improve it. We do not know on what basis or using what statistics Shashi Tharoor wrote his article. The industries minister claims three lakh enterprises were established in Kerala over the past three-and-a-half years. If that was true, at least 2,000 enterprises should have come up in every constituency,” Satheesan argued.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan asked the party national leadership to respond to Tharoor’s comments. “He is a member of the Congress Working Committee and a global citizen. It would be inappropriate for ordinary Congress workers like us to comment. Let the high command take appropriate action,” he said.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said Tharoor’s views did not conform to reality and anyone aware of Kerala’s situation would not make such comments.
Article was based on facts, says MP
“Kerala’s industries sector is in a bad state. Is there any development happening in the coir and fisheries sectors?” Venugopal asked.
Ramesh Chennithala said Tharoor had a misunderstanding. “Kerala is not an investment-friendly state. Public sector enterprises are facing huge losses. Several enterprises were shut during the LDF’s tenure,” he said. It’s learnt that the party leadership may seek disciplinary action against Tharoor for putting the party in a tight spot.
Despite the backlash, Tharoor said the article was based on facts. “When somebody in the government, whether it is our government or some other party’s government, does something well, one should acknowledge and praise it. When they do something bad, we should criticise it. I’ve criticised and I’ve praised in fairness and on the basis of specific points,” he said. “If I were to praise all the time, no one would take me seriously. If I were to criticise all the time, no one would take me seriously either,” Tharoor said.
He said he is against the thinking that the Opposition should criticise everything the government does.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPM leadership wasted no time in cashing in on Tharoor’s remarks. Without mentioning Tharoor, Pinarayi said it was a factual account of the development achieved by Kerala. He said a people’s representative, by quoting facts, stated that Kerala’s development was a model for the country and the world. “His statements were based on facts and numbers,” he said.
CPM state secretary M V Govindan too praised Tharoor. “With Tharoor’s statement, the campaign of the opposition leader and the rainbow alliance that nothing happens in the state stands nullified,” said Govindan.
Industries Minister P Rajeeve said Tharoor has articulated his views based on verifiable facts. “The number of enterprises established in the state is publicly documented and the American Society for Public Administration has acknowledged this achievement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too commended Kerala for its best practices in the MSME sector. This recognition is not solely for the Left government; it is a testament to Kerala’s collective progress,” he said.