Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday took a swipe at the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala over the delay in passing the Private University Bill. Sharing a newspaper report on the development, Tharoor noted on the X platform that while the government had finally taken the right step, it had done so after a considerable delay.

Tharoor argued that the LDF’s decision to allow private universities had come 15 to 20 years late, linking the delay to the party’s ideological stance. He suggested that the Left had a history of resisting modernisation and reform, holding on to outdated ideas that slowed progress.

Pointing to past incidents, Tharoor claimed Communist supporters had once stormed public sector offices to destroy computers when they were first introduced in India. He also said that the only political parties to oppose mobile phones in the country were Communist ones, adding that it took them years to acknowledge that these advancements ultimately benefited the common people.

Through his remarks, Tharoor suggested that while the Left may eventually accept change, it often does so too late. "It took them years to realise that the real beneficiary of these changes was the common man, for whom they claimed to speak. I’m sure they will one day finally enter the 21st century, but it may only be in the 22nd!" he noted in his post. He implied that the party continues to struggle with adapting to the realities of the 21st century, arguing that their acceptance of progress comes much later than necessary.