UDF to Attend Invest Kerala Summit Amid Controversy

The Congress-led UDF intends to participate in the Invest Kerala Global Summit, despite a dispute following Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s praise for the state’s investment climate. Opposition leader V D Satheesan challenges the state government’s claims regarding new enterprises, emphasizing support yet highlighting discrepancies in statistics.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has announced its participation in the Invest Kerala Global Summit, scheduled to take place in Kochi on February 21 and 22, despite ongoing controversy. Opposition leader V D Satheesan criticized Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's recent commendation of the state's investment climate, which he claims is misleading.

Satheesan and other Congress leaders countered Tharoor's statements with government statistics, indicating that nearly three lakh MSMEs have been established in Kerala over the past three years. Satheesan daringly challenged the state government to divulge full details of these enterprises, questioning the authenticity of the figures cited.

Satheesan declared that the opposition supports the government's efforts to attract investments but remains vigilant against inflated claims. He accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Industries Minister P Rajeeve of attempting to stigmatize the opposition as anti-development, citing historical evidence of the CPI(M)'s detrimental impact on Kerala's growth.