Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has defended his opinion piece on Kerala’s industrial growth after facing criticism from leaders within his party, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and Veekshanam, the Congress party’s official mouthpiece. In a Facebook post on Sunday, February 16, Tharoor expressed surprise at the controversy, clarifying that his article focused on the transformation of Kerala’s startup sector rather than an overall assessment of the state's economy.
“The controversy surrounding my article in The Indian Express was surprising. I wrote about a specific issue as an MP from Kerala—the transformation of the industrial ecosystem driven by the startup sector. I also take this opportunity to acknowledge that it was former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, a Congressman, who initiated this journey. The progress we see today builds on his efforts in establishing Startup Village and the state’s Startup Mission, which the current government has naturally continued,” he wrote.
Tharoor cited the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report, which highlighted Kerala’s progress. “According to the report, which analyzed data from over 4.5 million companies across 300-plus entrepreneurial innovation ecosystems, Kerala’s startup ecosystem, at the end of an 18-month period last year, was valued at $1.7 billion—five times the global average for the same period.”
His article, "Changing Kerala: Lumbering Jumbo to a Lithe Tiger," published in The New Indian Express on Friday, also praised the state’s improved ease of doing business ranking. “Kerala has significantly improved, moving from 28th (out of 29 states) to a top position. The state has implemented a new industrial policy focusing on knowledge-based industries,” he noted.
However, his remarks drew sharp criticism from Congress and IUML leaders, who accused him of downplaying the contributions of previous United Democratic Front (UDF) governments. Former Industries Minister and IUML leader PK Kunhalikutty dismissed Tharoor’s claims, asserting that UDF policies were instrumental in Kerala’s industrial development. “When (KM) Chandrasekhar was Industries Secretary with me, KINFRA (Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation) started experimentally. After Achutha Menon and TV Thomas, KINFRA brought significant changes to Kerala’s industrial sector,” Kunhalikutty said.
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan also questioned Tharoor’s data. “I am unsure on what basis Tharoor wrote the article. The Industries Minister claims three lakh enterprises were established in Kerala. If that were the case, each constituency should have at least 2,000 industries. Bakeries and small shops cannot be counted as industries,” he argued.
Meanwhile, the ruling CPI(M) welcomed Tharoor’s observations, particularly his remark that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has facilitated this economic transformation. “That this transformation has begun under a communist-led LDF government seems astonishing, but it is not entirely surprising. The communists in Kerala, like their counterparts in West Bengal at the beginning of the century, understood that growth and prosperity lie in capitalism, entrepreneurship, and initiative—not in red flags, strikes, and agitations,” Tharoor wrote.
Reaffirming his stance, Tharoor concluded his Facebook post with a request to critics: “A final request—please read the article before forming an opinion! It contains no partisan politics. My focus is solely on what needs to be done for Kerala to overcome its economic challenges, something I have consistently spoken about for 16 years.”