Congress sees red over Tharoor praise for Vijayan govt, sharpens attack on LDF

Referring to the measures the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government has taken to attract investment and promote business and start-ups, Tharoor spoke of a “transformation”. “That this (economic) transformation has begun to occur under a Communist-led LDF government seems astonishing, but it is not entirely surprising,” he stated.

The praise from the Congress’s Thiruvananthapuram MP has given an opportunity to the CPI(M) to again project its Kerala development narrative and counter the Congress’s frequent allegations that development has come to a standstill under the LDF regime.

On Saturday, the CPI(M) daily Deshabhimani prominently featured the Malayalam version of Tharoor’s article. The party’s social media handles have also gone all out to showcase the Congress leader’s piece.

Stung by Tharoor’s statement, the state Congress has sought to distance itself from his stand.

Senior Congress legislator and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, doubled down on the party’s criticism alleging that Kerala had been in an economic rut under the Vijayan government.

“Kerala is not an investor-friendly state. I don’t know on what basis and under which circumstances Tharoor has written the article (praising the investment scenario in Kerala under the LDF regime). At present, Kerala is not a state with an excellent business environment,” Satheeshan said.

He also said, “A lot of things have to improve (in Kerala)… Party will examine Tharoor’s stand.”

Another senior Congress leader and ex-state party president K Muraleedharan, who had earlier stood by Tharoor on various party matters, also did not back the stand of the diplomat-turned-politician this time round. “People of Kerala know about the anti-people policies of the government,” he claimed.

Muraleedharan also said: “Tharoor was a global citizen and he is a Congress Working Committee member. Ordinary workers like me cannot evaluate him. I am an ordinary worker who obeys party directions.”

Tharoor’s praise for the Vijayan government has come at a time when the Congress-led UDF is gearing up to launch a massive agitation against the LDF in the run-up to the local body polls scheduled this year. Kerala is also heading to the Assembly elections next year.

There had been several instances in the past when Tharoor praised the LDF government on various issues, which caused embarrassment to the state Congress.

In 2021, when the Congress was against the Vijayan government’s proposed semi-high speed rail corridor in the state, Tharoor did not align with the party’s position. He was then the only Congress MP from the state who had not signed a petition to the Union government against the project.

Then too, Tharoor had praised Vijayan’s push for development. “Our CM is trying to change the perspective about Kerala and I feel that it’s a good thing,” he had said.