The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) appeared to have raised eyebrows in the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition by inviting Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor, MP, to speak at the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] affiliate’s “start-up festival” in Thiruvananthapuram on March 1 and 2.
The DYFI’s demonstrative cordiality to Mr. Tharoor came at a time when the latter had drawn intense flak from the Congress leadership in Kerala for “gifting” the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) a propaganda advantage in the run-up to the local body polls by purportedly praising the State’s “robust” start-up sector and “ease of doing business climate.”
A DYFI delegation, led by its national president A.A. Rahim, called on Mr. Tharoor at the latter’s official residence in New Delhi on Wednesday (February 19, 2025) and invited him to the Left youth organisation’s flagship event.
Mr. Rahim told The Hindu that the Congress leadership had “demonised” Mr. Tharoor for holding a mirror to Kerala’s “spectacular growth” in the start-up sector.
He said Mr. Tharoor had based the latter’s opinion piece in a newspaper last week on substantial empirical evidence from respected national and international monitoring agencies.
“The DYFI felt that Mr. Tharoor had done Kerala a favour by stating the truth and becoming a politically bipartisan ambassador for Kerala’s future. Nevertheless, the DYFI has stark differences of opinion with Mr. Tharoor, including the latter’s assertion that the recent Trump-Modi summit in Washington was a success”, he said.
Rahim slams Satheesan, Venugopal
Mr. Rahim criticised Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan and general secretary (organisation) of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) K.C. Venugopal, MP, for “victimising” Mr. Tharoor for “advocating truthfully on behalf of Kerala and countering the Opposition’s false narrative” that the State was in decline under LDF rule.
Mr. Rahim said Mr. Tharoor thanked the DYFI for the gesture. “His prior speaking appointments in Surat and Kottayam constrained Mr. Tharoor from attending the event”, he added.
Political gimmickry: Mamkootathil
Rahul Mamkootathil, State president of the Youth Congress (YC), described the DYFI’s manoeuvre as a propaganda ploy. “The DYFI’s political gimmickry is best ignored,” he told The Hindu.
Veekshanam, the Congress’ mouthpiece in Kerala, had obliquely attacked Mr. Tharoor’s write-up on Sunday, stating that praising the LDF for the State’s “fictitious” industrial growth was akin to “giving the peace prize to an executioner.”
Later, Mr. Satheesan questioned the controversial article’s factual basis.
UDF convener M.M. Hassan lambasted Mr. Tharoor for “violating” the party line.
