New Delhi [India], June 20 (ANI): Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday lashed out at former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, dismissing his criticism of the state's recent Budget as a 'tired old set of ideological cliches.'

The war of words erupted after Vijayan accused the United Democratic Front (UDF) government of abandoning 'Nehruvian socialism' and 'Left ideals.'

Taking to X, Tharoor countered Vijayan's claims by highlighting the massive debt accumulated during the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) decade-long tenure.

'This tired old set of ideological cliches is all the Left can offer in response to Kerala's visionary Budget!' Tharoor posted.

Referring to Vijayan's assertion that the LDF combined welfare with growth, Tharoor remarked, 'The last two governments led by us, the LDF, showed that welfare, social justice and public investment can go hand in hand with economic growth and modern development.' Yes, at the cost of building up a 5.07 lakh crore debt, and borrowing money to pay salaries and Onam bonuses!'

The Congress MP further took a dig at the LDF's fiscal management, alleging corruption and accounting gimmicks. 'When the Left tries to argue about Budgets, after their decade-long record of debt, failure, corruption, sleight-of-hand accounting and worse, one never knows whether to laugh or cry....'

In a post on X on Friday, Vijayan said the UDF had come to power projecting itself as supportive of Left ideals and committed to Nehruvian socialism, but alleged that the Budget reflected a different direction.

'The UDF came to power projecting itself as pro-Left and committed to Nehruvian socialism. This very first Budget, however, marks the complete abandonment of that pretence. At a time when the BJP was aggressively pushing privatisation and dismantling the developmental role of the state across India, Kerala under the LDF stood as a beacon of hope and resistance, Vijayan said.

He asserted that Keralam under successive LDF governments had emerged as a model of welfare, social justice and public investment while achieving economic and infrastructure growth.

'The last two governments led by us, the LDF, showed that welfare, social justice and public investment can go hand in hand with economic growth and modern development. Kerala emerged as India's leading state across key human development indicators while also achieving remarkable economic and infrastructure growth,' he said.

Vijayan alleged that the new Budget represented a sharp shift away from the Keralam model and prioritised corporate interests over public initiatives.

'This Budget takes a sharp U-turn away from that model. It embraces corporate interests over public initiatives that Kerala has long championed. Everything from critical minerals and coastal resources to healthcare and public assets is being opened up for private profiteering, while plan outlays are slashed and the institutions that drove Kerala's progress are weakened,' he said.

He further alleged that policies long advocated by the BJP were now being implemented by the UDF government.

'What the BJP has long sought to impose on Kerala, the UDF is now attempting to deliver. This is not merely a Budget; it is a roadmap for surrendering Kerala's natural resources, public institutions and developmental priorities to corporate interests. It replaces a people-centred model with the very neoliberal order that treats society as a marketplace and the state as its facilitator,' Vijayan said.

He added that the Left would oppose the Budget and continue to defend the Keralam model of development. (ANI)