Thiruvananthapuram: Veekshanam Daily, the Congress party’s mouthpiece in Kerala, published a critical editorial on Monday, indirectly targeting Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for his praise of the state’s entrepreneurial growth under the Left government. The editorial urged Tharoor not to betray the expectations of thousands of party workers ahead of the upcoming local body elections.

The strongly worded editorial pointed out that an anti-incumbency wave was prevalent in the state, and it condemned attempts by those responsible for fueling it to suppress the sentiment, describing it as a “distorted” political practice.

The editorial was published a day after Tharoor clarified that he had not praised the CPI(M)-led government in Kerala, but had simply highlighted the state’s progress in the startup sector. On Sunday, the Thiruvananthapuram MP stated that his article in an English daily contained no political references, focusing instead on Kerala's entrepreneurial and innovation-driven growth.

However, the party mouthpiece appeared to reject Tharoor’s clarification, accusing him of undermining the party's position. The editorial warned that if the Congress-led UDF failed to win the local body elections despite favourable conditions, it would be a major setback for the front. It described any move to weaken its electoral prospects as “ridiculous.”

Titled “Ahimsa Award for the Executioner?”, the editorial argued that when the Congress was actively opposing the shortcomings of the LDF government both inside and outside the Assembly, it would be "suicidal" to weaken the party from within.

The editorial also accused the CPI(M) of making Kerala a “graveyard” for industries, calling it absurd to credit the Left government for industrial growth. It recalled that significant industrial establishments were developed during the tenure of former Congress Chief Ministers like R Sankar, C Achutha Menon, K Karunakaran, A K Antony, and Oommen Chandy, and praised the "futuristic interventions" of former Industry ministers like P K Kunhalikutty, T V Thomas, and K A Damodara Menon.

The article further questioned what new developments were brought by the current Industries Minister P Rajeeve compared to his predecessors. To praise those who had allegedly destroyed the state's agricultural and industrial sectors was, it claimed, as ridiculous as giving an "Ahimsa award" to an executioner.

The editorial also mentioned various protests and agitations led by the CPI(M) against industrial projects in Kerala and highlighted projects brought in by Congress Chief Ministers A K Antony and Oommen Chandy, which faced stiff opposition from the Left party.

Additionally, the mouthpiece criticised Tharoor’s positive remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the US. It dismissed Modi’s hug with President Donald Trump and the assurances regarding trade and military treaties as “a mere gesture by two administrators to improve their image."

The editorial further referenced the plight of thousands of Indians in US prisons, suggesting that the deported immigrants had been treated with little more than an apple and a bottle of water, an apparent reference to the conditions faced by illegal immigrants.

Tharoor's clarification came after a political storm ignited by his article in the English daily, in which he praised Kerala’s entrepreneurial growth under the LDF government. While his party questioned his claims, the CPI(M) welcomed his views.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan attacked the opposition, stating that Tharoor’s article debunked the false propaganda spread by the Congress-led UDF against Kerala. Meanwhile, KPCC president K Sudhakaran accused the Left government of inflating figures related to small enterprises but did not specifically mention Tharoor’s name.