Analysis | How VD Satheesan redefined the opposition playbook for Congress in Kerala

Kozhikode: Once, during a heated Assembly debate on alleged police excesses in Kerala, the then Opposition leader V D Satheesan confronted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in one of the most dramatic exchanges in recent Kerala politics. As tempers escalated inside the Assembly, Vijayan remarked that if it had been during his “old days”, he would have delivered a “befitting reply” to Satheesan, a statement widely interpreted as both a warning and an assertion of political authority.

Satheesan responded instantly and defiantly: “We are not afraid of the old Vijayan or the present Vijayan.”

The exchange soon evolved into one of the defining political images of Kerala’s opposition politics, a young Congress leader publicly challenging the state’s most dominant political figure, Pinarayi Vijayan, without hesitation or restraint. Today, with Satheesan elevated as Kerala’s new Chief Minister, that moment is increasingly being revisited as symbolic of the aggressive political style that shaped his rise to power.

Over the last five years, Satheesan steadily built his image as the most combative face of the Congress-led opposition. On issues ranging from corruption allegations and governance controversies to policing failures and administrative crises, he consistently placed himself at the forefront of attacks against the Left government. His speeches were sharp, direct and often intensely personal in their criticism of Vijayan’s administration, helping him emerge as the principal anti-Pinarayi voice in Kerala politics.

Unlike the cautious political style traditionally associated with sections of the Congress in Kerala, Satheesan cultivated the image of a leader willing to confront power head-on, a style that energised party workers, attracted younger supporters and eventually strengthened his credentials as a leader capable of heading both the opposition and the government.

During a debate over development projects implemented by the Vijayan government ahead of the Assembly election, Satheesan intensified his attacks by referring to the Chief Minister as “Nunarayi” — a Malayalam political pun branding Vijayan a liar. The remark drew sharp reactions across the political spectrum but also reinforced Satheesan’s image as an uncompromising opposition leader unafraid of personal political confrontation.

Several controversies raised by Satheesan during his tenure as Opposition leader played a major role in shaping that image. Among the most prominent were corruption allegations related to the AI Camera project, Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON), the Sprinklr deal and other government-linked projects.

Satheesan repeatedly alleged corruption in the AI camera deal and directly targeted the Chief Minister’s Office. At one point, he described the project as a “second SNC-Lavalin”, invoking one of the most politically damaging controversies associated with Vijayan’s political career.

He also alleged that public sector undertakings and cooperative societies were being used as fronts for private companies to corner government contracts and facilitate corruption. Unlike several Congress leaders who adopted a more cautious tone while attacking the government, Satheesan described the Left government as “inefficient” and accused the Chief Minister of misleading the public on multiple issues.

Satheesan also strongly raised allegations of police brutality and custodial violence in Kerala, arguing that the Home Department under Vijayan had failed to ensure accountability. He repeatedly demanded direct answers from the Chief Minister on law and order issues. During the election campaign, he even warned that the UDF would not forget the police assault on Congress workers who waved black flags at Vijayan’s convoy, declaring that those responsible would be politically answered if the UDF came to power.

Following the UDF’s heavy defeat in the 2021 Assembly election, Satheesan emerged as the face of what many Congress workers described as a “new-generation Congress”, gradually displacing sections of the old guard within the party.

Inside and outside the Assembly, he consistently targeted the government over the drug menace, alleged mafia links, violence against women and what he described as deteriorating law and order in the state. Supporters argued that this helped him project himself as a leader willing to raise public issues beyond narrow party politics.

At the same time, critics frequently accused Satheesan of opposing too many development projects and adopting an excessively confrontational political style. He emerged as one of the strongest opponents of the Left government’s flagship K-Rail SilverLine project, leading statewide protests against it. Satheesan argued that the project lacked transparency, would cause environmental damage, displace thousands of families and push Kerala into severe financial debt.

He also opposed the proposed Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) and alternative high-speed rail proposals, though he later clarified that he was not against high-speed rail projects in principle. Similarly, he criticised aspects of the implementation and delays connected to the Vizhinjam International Seaport project, though he did not oppose the port itself outright and later publicly supported its expansion while criticising associated infrastructure failures.

For critics, these positions reinforced the perception that Satheesan opposed too many infrastructure initiatives. But for his supporters, that aggressive style of opposition politics was precisely what revived the UDF politically and transformed Satheesan into one of the most powerful and recognisable political figures in contemporary Kerala politics.