Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 17 (IANS): Two days after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor stirred controversy by highlighting Kerala’s progress -- bringing unexpected cheer to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Left -- his party colleagues were left red-faced. Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan has now hit back, presenting data to challenge the claims propagated by the state government.

Sensing the potential for internal discord, AICC General Secretary (Organization) K.C. Venugopal had a brief discussion with Tharoor in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, especially as pro-Congress factions on social media unleashed a backlash.

Though relations among Kerala Congress leaders have often been strained, the party high command has issued clear instructions to avoid further aggravation -- fearing that both the Left and the BJP could capitalize on the controversy with local body elections around the corner, followed by assembly polls next year.

On Monday, Satheesan held a press conference where he presented facts and figures to dispute the Left government’s narrative of progress since 2016.

“Vijayan’s government is excellent at public relations, but their so-called achievements are baseless. We all saw what happened during Covid,” said Satheesan, pointing out that even the BBC had recently corrected its reports on Kerala’s pandemic response.

He further asserted that key infrastructure projects -- the Kochi Metro, Vizhinjam Port, GAIL pipeline, and highway developments -- were initiated by the Congress-led UDF, despite strong opposition from Vijayan at the time. “Now, shamelessly, they take credit as if they built everything themselves,” he added.

Satheesan also refuted the claim that Kerala leads in ease of doing business, highlighting that the World Bank discontinued this indicator in 2021 due to discrepancies.

“Another bluff being spread is that over three lakh new establishments have been launched in Kerala over the past three years. If that were true, each of the state’s 140 Assembly constituencies should have seen 2,000 new units. Assuming a Rs 10 lakh investment per unit, this should have contributed Rs 30,000 crore to the national GDP. Yet, Kerala’s share in GDP remains stagnant at 3.8 per cent, as per the Prime Minister’s Relative Economic Performance of Indian States,” he said.

He also pointed out inconsistencies in GST registrations, noting that only 30,000 new registrations have been recorded -- far lower than what Vijayan’s government claims.

“I’m quoting Kerala government figures from K-SWIFT, which show that between January 2022 and February 2025, only 64,528 MSMEs were registered. Yet, Vijayan claims the number is over three lakh.”

Bringing up Tharoor’s past stance, Satheesan recalled how the MP had initially supported the controversial K-Rail project but later changed his position after being briefed on the details.

“Just like K-Rail, I will now explain the real figures to Tharoor, and I am confident he will understand,” he said.

Meanwhile, State Tourism Minister P. Mohammed Riyas took a swipe at the Congress, remarking, “The situation has come to a point where anyone who praises Kerala faces attacks from Congress leaders.”