BJP's Prakash Javadekar accuses LDF and UDF of stage-managed rivalry in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 16 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar on Sunday slammed both the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-headed UDF, accusing them of pretending to be rivals in Kerala while maintaining friendly ties elsewhere.

In a post on his X account, Javadekar, who is also party's Kerala prabhari, wrote: "Shashi Tharoor’s praise of Pinarayi Vijayan and UDF’s declaration of joint protest with LDF, has once again proved that both LDF and UDF are friends all over and put up a mock fight in Kerala." His post came in the wake of a political storm triggered in the state over Congress MP Tharoor's recent article in an English daily, where he praised Kerala's entrepreneurial growth under the LDF government.

"Voters of Kerala will teach them a lesson for this deception," said Javadekar.

"Mr Tharoor, you know very well that there were only 400 start-ups in 2014 in the country, Now it is 1,40,000.

This is the credit of Narendra Modi," the post added.

Tharoor's recent article in an English daily, praising the entrepreneurial growth in Kerala under the LDF government, kicked off a political storm in the state on Saturday with his party questioning the basis of it, while the CPI(M) welcomed it.

As the Congress questioned the basis for Tharoor's article, the CPI(M) came to his defence by saying that the MP from Thiruvananthapuram only stated facts.