Congress Bypasses Tharoor as LoP Satheesan Challenges Kerala’s Progress Assertions
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Synopsis
In Thiruvananthapuram, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan confronts Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's claims about Kerala's development. With local elections approaching, the Congress party aims to manage internal conflicts while refuting the Left government's progress narrative.
Key Takeaways
- V.D. Satheesan disputes Kerala government's progress claims.
- Internal discord within Congress is a concern.
- Tharoor's controversial remarks sparked backlash.
- Infrastructure projects were initiated by the UDF, not the Left.
- Discrepancies in business establishment figures highlighted.
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 17 (NationPress) Just two days after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor ignited a debate by emphasizing Kerala's development -- much to the delight of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Left -- his associates within the party found themselves in an awkward position. The Leader of Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, has responded by presenting information to counter the assertions made by the state government.
To mitigate potential internal strife, AICC General Secretary (Organization) K.C. Venugopal engaged in a brief conversation with Tharoor to calm the situation, particularly as pro-Congress groups on social media began to express their discontent.
Despite the often tumultuous relationships among Kerala Congress leaders, the party's central command has issued explicit directives to prevent any escalation -- wary that both the Left and the BJP could leverage this issue with upcoming local elections and assembly polls next year.
On Monday, Satheesan conducted a press briefing where he unveiled statistics to dispute the Left government's narrative regarding progress since 2016.
“Vijayan's administration excels in public relations, yet their purported accomplishments are unfounded. We all witnessed the events during Covid,” Satheesan remarked, emphasizing that even the BBC recently revised its reporting on Kerala's pandemic management.
He further claimed that significant infrastructure initiatives -- including the Kochi Metro, Vizhinjam Port, GAIL pipeline, and highway improvements -- were actually launched by the Congress-led UDF, despite substantial opposition from Vijayan at that time. “They now shamelessly take credit as if they constructed everything themselves,” he added.
Satheesan also disputed the assertion that Kerala is a leader in ease of doing business, noting that the World Bank stopped measuring this metric in 2021 due to irregularities.
“Another falsehood being circulated is that over three lakh new businesses have been established in Kerala in the past three years. If this were accurate, each of the state’s 140 Assembly constituencies would see 2,000 new units. Assuming a Rs 10 lakh investment for each unit, this should contribute Rs 30,000 crore to the national GDP. However, Kerala's share in GDP remains stagnant at 3.8 percent, according to the Prime Minister’s Relative Economic Performance of Indian States,” he stated.
He also pointed to discrepancies in GST registrations, revealing that only 30,000 new registrations have been documented -- significantly less than what Vijayan's government claims.
“I am referencing government data from K-SWIFT, which indicates that from January 2022 to February 2025, only 64,528 MSMEs were registered. Yet, Vijayan asserts the number exceeds three lakh,” he explained.
Recalling Tharoor's previous position, Satheesan mentioned how the MP initially endorsed the controversial K-Rail project but later revised his stance after being fully informed of the details.
“Just like with K-Rail, I will now clarify the actual figures for Tharoor, and I am confident he will comprehend,” he stated.
Meanwhile, State Tourism Minister P. Mohammed Riyas criticized the Congress, commenting, “The situation has reached a point where anyone who praises Kerala faces backlash from Congress leaders.”
