Congress mouthpiece in Kerala takes oblique dig at Shashi Tharoor’s ‘praise’ for State’s start-up sector

Veekshanam criticizes Shashi Tharoor's praise for Kerala's industrial growth under LDF government, urging support for UDF in local elections.

Veekshanam, the Congress party’s mouthpiece in Kerala, has taken an oblique dig at Shashi Tharoor MP’s purported praise for the State’s start-up sector. 

In an arguably acerbic editorial on Monday (February 17, 2025), the newspaper said that lauding Kerala’s “dismal” industrial growth under the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government was “akin to giving the peace prize to an executioner.”

Without naming Mr. Tharoor, the editorial urged those who praised the LDF’s alleged achievements in the industrial sector not to jeopardise the Congress-led United Democratic Front’s (UDF) chances of success in the upcoming local body elections in Kerala.

The newspaper surmised that Kerala’s political climate was conducive to a UDF win. Anti-incumbency anger raged against the government. Stirring diversionary controversies to douse people’s exasperation with the LDF is self-defeating. Lakhs of UDF activists are toiling overtime to wrest victory from the LDF in the local body polls, it noted.

The editorial argued that entrenched attempts to deflect the government’s glaring shortcomings were tantamount to holding dedicated party workers opposing the LDF on the street in contempt.

The newspaper likened persons singing paeans of praise for the “anti-people” LDF government to those paying tribute to Ravana during the holy Ramayana month. 

The editorial listed the LDF’s past “sins”. For decades, the LDF had resisted development and deterred investment.