‘I write based on a clear source…’: Shashi Tharoor doubles down on his article praising Left govt

The article had left the Congress as well as its ally IUML in an uncomfortable position, at a time when the Opposition in Kerala has been trying to whip up an anti-incumbency against the government ahead of local body elections later this year.

The CPI(M), on the other hand, used the article as a certificate for its government from a high-profile politician from across the political divide.

Tharoor stuck to his stand hailing the pro-investment approach of the Left government even after Congress leaders questioned the credibility of the data he had highlighted in the article. Opposition leader V D Satheesan held a series of press conferences with figures and analysis to try and prove him wrong.

Tharoor told the media in Thiruvananthapuram, “I write everything on the basis of a clear source. I had taken the data from the global start-up ecosystem report and the ease of doing business report. These reports are not of the CPI(M). One is from an international and the other from the union government. If I get some other data, I will change it. I am speaking and writing for Kerala only, not for anyone else.”

Tharoor’s reiteration of his stand on the piece came not long after a meeting with Congress national leaders, including Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.

Congress’s state president K Sudhakaran also waded into the issue, taking a dig at Satheesan. “Tharoor has not stated anything serious. When there was a minor issue in a statement, it was our responsibility to suppress it. His statement had not caused any major loss,” he said.