Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], April 7 : Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said the Left Front-led government has mired Kerala in severe levels of debt and it "does not deserve a third term".
Ahead of the Assembly elections on April 9, Tharoor, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram who has been campaigning for the United Democratic Front candidates in the State said, "Certainly anti-incumbency is there in Kerala, I've seen it... People want to see the UDF come to power. So I think they can whistle in the dark about no anti-incumbency."
"There is... The state government has mired Kerala in severe levels of debt... This failure does not deserve a third term. They're pointing to a development report they brought out, but that report claims credit for a lot of things they haven't done... It's really a bit embarrassing that the state government is desperately claiming credit for things they really didn't do or actually opposed," Tharoor said.
The MP who is also a member of the Congress Working Committee said that he had toured 59 constituencies in Keralam and that the desire for change is evident from the public response he had seen throughout the tour.
He further criticised the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) amendment bill, stating that the timing of its introduction, amid Kerala's Assembly elections. He has accused the BJP of pandering to the Christian community.
"... The FCRA is a highly flawed law because it stipulates that if an FCRA license is not renewed, the government acquires the authority to confiscate all assets created using FCRA contributions, and even has the power to sell them... The timing of this is quite strange, before the elections are about to begin here. On the one hand the BJP is asking Christians for their votes, and on the other, telling them we will snatch away all your assets. What kind of politics is this?..."
"....If you study the law, which has been introduced in the parliament, then you will see that this is a very bad law. Under this law, the government will have the right to confiscate any school, church, hospital and any institution built with the FCRA funds, and the government can sell it too. It is wrong," Tharoor said.
The FCRA Bill, 2026, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 and seeks to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, and is aimed at enhancing the transparency and accountability of foreign contributions in India.
Meanwhile, Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that despite limited campaign time, the people of the State are firmly with the LDF, and there is no anti-incumbency sentiment in the state.
Addressing a 'Meet the Leader' programme in Kannur today, he said the absence of anti-incumbency has left the opposition disappointed. He claimed that 97% of the promises made in the 2021 elections have been fulfilled, and that the government has successfully combined development and welfare initiatives over the past ten years.
"This progress must continue for a comprehensive New Keralam," he said.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the Centre's share in development funding has reduced, with the state bearing nearly 75% of the burden, affecting development stability and social justice.
He alleged that corruption charges are now being raised against the opposition rather than the ruling front, and said the UDF behaves similarly whether in power or opposition on corruption matters.
Criticising the Congress, he said they avoid directly criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and termed Rahul Gandhi's statements as baseless allegations. He accused the Congress of remaining silent when the Centre took decisions harmful to Keralam and of adopting anti-worker positions, which indirectly benefit the BJP.
Responding to allegations of a CPM-BJP deal, Vijayan dismissed them as a sign of Congress's "political bankruptcy."
He noted that many BJP leaders originally came from the Congress and cited past political alliances, including efforts against leaders like E.M.S. Namboodiripad and A.K.G.He also questioned electoral outcomes, asking where a large share of Congress votes went in certain constituencies, including Thrissur.