Thiruvananthapuram: Expressing his surprise at the political controversy that his recent article in an English daily stirred, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said he intended to showcase Kerala's advancement in the startup sector.

In a sharp rebuke to those who were airing their opposition, Tharoor asked them to read the article before commenting. 

He clarified his position in a Facebook post in Malayalam on Sunday, the second post on the subject in the past 12 hours. "The controversy surrounding my article in the (New) Indian Express surprised me, somewhat. I wrote this article as an MP from Kerala, focusing on a specific issue – the transformation of the industrial landscape as seen through the growth of the startup sector. As a Congress worker, I proudly use this opportunity to say that it was former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who initiated such a change," the Thiruvananthapuram MP wrote.

"These developments are based on his (Chandy's) initiation of the Startup Village and the state's Startup Mission. The current government has naturally carried it forward," he added in the post.

Criticising Tharoor, former state industry minister and Muslim League leader Kunhalikutty said the industrial sector greatly benefited from the policies of the UDF government.

In his latest FB post, Tharoor noted that his article was not about Kerala's economy in general. "My article was not an attempt to comprehensively assess Kerala's economic situation. As I have said many times, Kerala is still facing a major economic crisis – including high unemployment, especially the emigration of educated youth abroad, the crisis in the agricultural sector (rubber, cashew, etc.), and, for the first time in history, the highest-ever debt burden.

"To resolve all these, it takes time. However, when we see even a single area showing a promising change, it would be shortsighted not to acknowledge it," he said in an attempt to distance himself from the controversy. 

"The basis of my article is the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report; it incorporates data and information from this report," he added, in an apparent reply to those leaders doubting the veracity of the data.

On Saturday, Opposition Leader VD Satheesan questioned the credibility of Tharoor's data on startups. "I don’t know where Tharoor got these figures on Kerala’s MSME growth. Many returning NRIs open small businesses like shops and bakeries, but can such ventures be counted as MSME growth?" the Paravur MLA said.

Tharoor also had a word of advice for those stirring up the controversy. "One final request: Please read the article before commenting! It doesn't contain anything about party politics; it discusses what needs to be done to get Kerala out of its economic crisis. For the past 16 years, I have repeatedly spoken about Kerala's economic progress," he wrote.

Congress leaders, including Opposition Leader VD Satheesan, had criticised Tharoor for supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit and his article on Kerala’s startup economy.  The KPCC leadership also submitted a letter of dissent against Tharoor to the AICC.