Thiruvananthapuram: Responding to Shashi Tharoor's article in an English daily in which the Thiruvananthapuram MP congratulated the Kerala government for the recent industrial progress, former industries minister PK Kunhalikutty said that policies by UDF governments brought significant changes to the industrial sector in the state.

"We brought several industrial policies when (KM) Chandrasekhar was the industries secretary with me. This was when KINFRA (Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation) started at an experimental level. After the time of (former CM) Achutha Menon and TV Thomas, KINFRA parks were the ones that made a noticeable change to the industrial sector in Kerala. We moved forward with a strong will to develop infrastructure," Kunhalikutty said.

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Later, all companies were established within KINFRA parks, and even land for airports was acquired by KINFRA, he added. "Kakkanad was once a nondescript suburb of Kochi. The place progressed significantly with the development of the Info Park, he said. "We assured the timely development of Info Park. The Kakkanchery Park, located near Calicut University, was inaugurated by then Indian President for research purposes. It is now fully occupied," Kunhalikutty added.

In his article in The New Indian Express, Tharoor had observed that Kerala, which had long struggled with industrial growth, has recently made notable progress. Citing the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report—which analysed data from over 4.5 million companies across 300 entrepreneurial innovation ecosystems—he highlighted that Kerala’s startup ecosystem was valued at $1.7 billion, five times the global average.

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On foreign affairs, Tharoor also maintained that national interests should take precedence over party politics. "When discussing foreign relations, we must think of the country as a whole," he said. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent US visit, he remarked that Modi should have addressed the treatment of deported Indians, even if he chose to do so behind closed doors.

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