THAROOR DOES A U TURN!! Revises Stance on Kerala’s Industrial Growth

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has shifted his earlier optimistic stance on Kerala’s industrial growth, emphasizing the need for tangible progress in the state’s MSME (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) sector. On March 2, Tharoor took to X to express dismay over the state’s start-up ecosystem, citing a news report claiming over 42,000 MSMEs shut down in Kerala over the past nine years, leading to over 1 lakh job losses. “Dismayed to see that the Kerala start-up entrepreneurship story is not what’s been reported,” he wrote, urging for “more MSME start-ups — and not just on paper.”

Tharoor’s reversal follows his earlier praise for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s industrial policies in a recent article, which had sparked friction within the Congress state unit. His initial comments lauded Kerala’s focus on knowledge-based industries like AI and blockchain, but the latest data prompted a rethink. He acknowledged the state government’s intentions as a “silver lining” but stressed the need for real outcomes.

State Industries Minister P Rajeeve refuted the report’s claims, calling them “baseless” and citing official figures: only 1,700 MSME closures in four years, per Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s statement in Parliament. Rajeeve also highlighted Kerala’s lower MSME failure rate (15%) compared to the national average (30%).

Tharoor’s remarks come amid Congress’s preparations for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, following a strategy session in New Delhi on February 28. His U-turn has reignited debates over Kerala’s industrial narrative and the party’s internal cohesion.