Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan during the pre-election public meeting of UDF candidate from Kattakada constituency, MR Baiju at Malayinkeezhu, in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. | Photo credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN / THE HINDU
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan on Friday attacked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over his remarks on the alleged Congress-RSS pact, alleging that the CPI(M) leader was indulging in both majority and minority appeasement.
The verbal sparring began after the Congress alleged a CPI(M)-BJP “deal” in the upcoming elections, after which Mr. Vijayan alleged that Mr. Satheesan had the support of the RSS in North Paravoor.
Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Satheesan said that after facing the failure of the minority communities in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Vijayan had switched to majoritarian appeasement. “Vijayan is a person who promotes majority and minority communalism according to the situation. He changes his words,” Satheesan said.
He said that Mr Vijayan first welcomed Jamaat-e-Islami and later claimed that he had no connection with the organisation. “He said that as far as votes are concerned, his stand on the issue of women entering Sabarimala will not change. But when he lost the assembly elections, he apologized by visiting homes,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan alleged that the CPI(M) would not dare to take action against its party leaders accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case. “This Chief Minister is protecting dacoits and robbers. Now he is accusing Rahul Gandhi who was questioned by ED for 55 hours. The Chief Minister’s son has received summons but no one knows what happened to him,” he alleged.
Responding to allegations of his association with the RSS, Mr. Satheesan said that BJP workers take out protest marches to his residence on a regular basis. “They have always worked strongly against me. The BJP is working to defeat the Congress,” he said, reiterating his claim that there was a CPI(M)-BJP “collusion” in several constituencies.
On allegations that he attended an RSS event in North Paravoor, Mr. Satheesan said that he used to attend events of all parties, including CPI(M), CPI and RSS, to present the Congress stand in debates. He said that when KV Thomas was part of the Congress, the CPI(M) had invited him to its state convention in Kannur. “Earlier, parties used to invite leaders from other parties to events. Now nobody invites others,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan said that unlike Mr. Vijayan, he did not win the election with the support of the RSS. “When I asked Mr. Vijayan at the rally about the meeting with RSS leaders at Hotel Mascot in Thiruvananthapuram, for which he had arrived in an unofficial vehicle, he remained silent and bowed his head. He has not responded so far,” said Mr. Satheesan.
He said he had released a book authored by RSS leader P Parameswaran in Thrissur. However, the same book was released in Thiruvananthapuram by former Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, he added.
He said his interview with the news channel was removed from Facebook after police approached the Met. “They are even worried about the interview. It was removed on the instructions of the police. What right does the police have to remove this interview when I did not say anything wrong in it,” he said.
When told that the Election Commission had only directed the police to remove the comment in the chat, Mr Satheesan asked what was wrong with the comment. “It was not the Election Commission that did it, but the Kerala Police,” the Congress leader said.
He said that it is fear that rules the state, which is common with all autocrats, adding that it is Narendra Modi’s brother who is ruling Kerala. “Hitler was afraid, Stalin was afraid and Pinarayi Vijayan is also afraid. Chief Minister Vijayan is a coward who is afraid even to talk,” he said.
Referring to a poem by Bertolt Brecht, he said that all autocrats are driven by fear. “All autocrats are afraid. The chief minister is also like that,” he said.
Published – 27 March 2026 21:38 IST
