- Monday, February 24, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
CONGRESS parliamentarian from Kerala Shashi Tharoor on Sunday (11) rued the exit of garment major Kitex Group from the southern state, saying it should do more to support investors as it is not a top attraction for industrialists and not being able to generate enough jobs for its people.
The member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, took a dig at Kerala’s Left government in a tweet saying, “Whatever your politics, it’s hard not to feel regret at Kitex’s departure from Kerala. Ours is a state in which industrialists are reluctant to invest& which is congenitally unable to generate employment for its talented people. We should be doing everything to support investors.”
In another post, Tharoor tweeted an open letter which was penned by Eram Group chairman and managing director Siddeek Ahmed urging the Kerala government and Kitex Group to have amicable in the interest of the state.
“A valuable & emotional appeal by a Kerala entrepreneur to both Kitex & @CMOKerala. It’s time to put the state first, even to save it from itself!” Tharoor, a three-time parliamentarian and former central minister, said.
‘I was kicked out’: Kitex managing director
On Friday (9), Kitex Group’s managing director Sabu Jacob slammed the state government after withdrawing from a proposed project in the state worth Rs 3,500 crore ($470 million) and deciding to shift to another state in the south, Telangana.
Alleging that he was hounded out of the state, Jacob said in an emotional tone, “I am not leaving on my own. I was kicked out. Sad, Kerala says it is one of the best investor-friendly states, but ground situation is contrary. Its policies are at least 50-year-old.” His statement came ahead of his departure for Telangana from Kochi in a private jet sent by the government of Telangana. He said he had never expected such a consequence in Kerala.
Kitex chooses Telangana
A number of states welcomed Jacob after he announced his withdrawal from the project two week ago alleging witch-hunt and official apathy. States like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana were among those who showed keen interest in having the world’s third-largest infant-garment brand in their territory and the firm settled for Telangana, a comparatively new state which came into being in 2014 following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
Telangana industry minister KT Rama Rao, son of the state’s chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, held preliminary talks with Jacob before the jet was sent for him to Kochi.
“After airing my grievance everyone including Industry Minister P Rajeev was busy blaming me. Kerala has to learn many lessons from its neighbours, otherwise it will become a graveyard of industries,” Jacob said.
The disappointed industrialist said the move to shift to Telangana was not something that was against Kerala or its government but rather a desperate move to save his firm.
“I know how to float around but I am really concerned about the future of upcoming entrepreneurs. The state has to change a lot. Let it be an eye opener,” the Kitex official said, adding that Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan “really wanted to change the atmosphere but his efforts are not percolating down”.
Rajeev, however, said the Kerala government was willing to talk to Jacob and called the latter’s decision unfortunate. “It seems Jacob has made up his mind long before. He’s leaving the state when many major companies have decided to set up their shops in Kerala,” the minister said.
