Congress leadership takes a dim view of Tharoor’s ‘praise’ of Kerala’s industrial sector

Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor, MP, appears to have given the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government a propaganda advantage by praising Kerala’s “staggering growth” in the start-up sector. 

However, Mr. Tharoor’s apparent endorsement of the LDF’s industrial policy appears poorly received by Kerala’s Congress leadership.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan retorted in Malappuram that he was unaware of the data Mr. Tharoor relied on to draw such a contentious inference. He stated that the Congress would examine the circumstances that led Mr. Tharoor to present an “overly optimistic” view of Kerala’s investment climate. 

In contrast, Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretary M.V. Govindan praised Mr. Tharoor for postulating the truth. He said Mr. Tharoor’s truth-telling flew in the face of the United Democratic Front’s “lie” that Kerala’s industrial sector remained moribund.

“Mr. Tharoor’s averment is the perfect political counter to the Congress’ deluding propaganda that Kerala was an investors’ graveyard. Nevertheless, Mr. Tharoor’s forthrightness will likely spell trouble for him in the Congress party,” Mr. Govindan added.

In a newspaper article last week, Mr. Tharoor celebrated the State’s “success” in establishing 2,90,000 MSMEs since 2022. He said the government’s “Year of Enterprises” initiative had benefitted women and transgender entrepreneurs.

Borrowing Kerala’s tagline for tourism promotion, Mr. Tharoor noted that “God’s Own Country was no more the Devil’s Own Playground for business” and the State had “reasons to celebrate.”

However, Mr. Tharoor noted that Kerala had recorded cases of “investor suicide” caused by labour trouble, political hostility, and bureaucratic red tape.  He suggested an investor protection Act to boost investor confidence. In Kochi, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve welcomed Mr. Tharoor’s suggestion.

Mr. Satheesan strongly disagreed with Mr. Tharoor’s judgment. He stated that Kerala’s industrial and investment climate was far from optimal. He remarked that Mr. Rajeeve’s assertion regarding three lakh MSMEs within three years was unconvincing. 

“The government had counted confectionaries and mom-and-pop convenience stores started by Gulf returnees as industries to pull the wool over the public’s eye,” he said. 

Mr. Satheesan also appeared sceptical about Mr. Tharoor’s purported assertion that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States was successful but stopped short of stating the MP had infringed on the Congress’ line about the “Trump-Modi” summit.

Mr. Tharoor has a history of deviating from the Congress’ political line. He had come under intra-party criticism for praising Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and endorsing airport privatisation.