The controversy over Chief Minister VD Satheesan's meeting with leaders of the Hindu Aikya Vedi has resurfaced. A Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leader questioned why party functionaries were allegedly denied appointments while the Hindutva outfit's representatives were received by the Chief Minister.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson VR Anoop on Thursday, July 16, criticised Satheesan after Kerala Students Union (KSU) state president Aloshious Xavier and KPCC general secretary PM Niyas were allegedly unable to secure appointments with the Chief Minister despite repeated requests.
In a Facebook post, Anoop said PM Niyas had sought time to meet the Chief Minister to present his concerns over the alleged Sangh Parivar links of a person appointed as an Election Commissioner but was not granted an appointment. He also claimed that Aloshious Xavier, who had raised complaints regarding the appointment of government pleaders, was yet to be given an opportunity to meet the Chief Minister.
Anoop said that if the Chief Minister could extend a "sympathetic approach" to Hindu Aikya Vedi leaders KP Sasikala and RV Babu, the same courtesy should have been shown to the KPCC general secretary and the KSU state president. "They deserve it. It is their right. This is their government too. This is our government too," he wrote.
The criticism comes amid an ongoing row within the Congress over the appointment of government pleaders. A section of the party, led by the KSU, had objected to the appointments, alleging that some appointees had links with rival political parties.
Responding to the criticism earlier, Satheesan defended the appointments, saying the names were recommended by the state committee of the Indian Lawyers' Congress and the High Court Unit Committee before being finalised after consultations with the Advocate General.
Rejecting the KSU's objections, the Chief Minister had remarked, "Does the unit committee of Thiruvananthapuram Law College decide government pleaders?" He also asserted that the KSU had no role in deciding government pleader appointments.
The Chief Minister's meeting with Hindu Aikya Vedi leaders on July 10 had already triggered criticism from within and outside the Congress. The delegation included KP Sasikala, Subrahmanyan Mussath, Mohan Triveni, Prof Gopinathan, KV Sivan, Sushikumar, and K Prabhakaran, who met Satheesan during the government's public grievance hearing.
Following the backlash, Satheesan defended the meeting, saying, "I did not meet the Hindu Aikya Vedi leaders as Pinarayi Vijayan did. I met them openly. They met me during public visiting hours. I am the Chief Minister of the state, not just of the Congress or the UDF."
Hindu Aikya Vedi leader RV Babu later said the delegation met the Chief Minister to submit a representation adopted at a Hindu Leadership Conference.
This is not the first time the meeting has drawn political criticism. The Indian National League, the CPI(M), and the National Service Society (NSS) had earlier questioned the Chief Minister's decision to meet the Hindu Aikya Vedi delegation.
On June 20, NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair alleged that the Chief Minister had twice declined requests for an appointment from the NSS.
The controversy also revived earlier allegations made by RV Babu in March 2026, when he claimed that Satheesan had sought the RSS's support in the 2001 and 2006 Assembly elections after losing to CPI leader P Raju in the 1996 Assembly polls. Satheesan had denied the allegation at the time.
