Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 2
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has drawn sharp criticism from CPI(M) leaders for attending a lunch at Ponnani in Malappuram district while several parts of the State were battling heavy rain, flooding and other weather-related emergencies.
The controversy began after Muslim Youth League vice-president Faisal Bafaqui Thangal shared photographs and videos of the gathering on Facebook. The visuals were widely circulated on social media, prompting the Opposition to question the Chief Minister’s priorities at a time when the State was dealing with a serious rain situation.
CPI(M) leaders V.K. Prasanth MLA and Rajya Sabha MP A.A. Rahim were among those who targeted Satheesan, accusing him of failing to display the level of involvement expected from the head of the government during an emergency.
In a Facebook post, Rahim contrasted Satheesan’s actions with those of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, saying Vijayan had cancelled scheduled programmes during similar weather emergencies to concentrate on rescue, relief and disaster-management operations.
Rahim also referred to Satheesan’s responsibilities in the State’s disaster-management system and questioned how the Chief Minister could attend a lunch when people in several districts were struggling with the impact of heavy rainfall.
Satheesan has not publicly responded to the criticism.
Sources close to the Chief Minister, however, rejected allegations that Satheesan had travelled to Ponnani to attend a celebratory or social event. They said his primary purpose was to visit senior Congress leader C. Haridas, who is unwell, at his residence.
According to them, Faisal lives close to Haridas’s residence and Satheesan attended lunch at his house during the visit. They maintained that the meal was incidental and that portraying it as a social engagement amid the rain crisis was misleading.
The explanation has failed to prevent the issue from developing into a political controversy, with Left leaders continuing to question Satheesan’s priorities as the government and district administrations grapple with rain-related emergencies across Kerala.
