major political controversy has erupted in Kerala after R V Babu, state president of the Hindu Aikya Vedi, alleged that Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, V D Satheesan, had sought support from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh during the 2001 and 2006 Assembly elections.
major political controversy has erupted in Kerala after R V Babu, state president of the Hindu Aikya Vedi, alleged that Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, V D Satheesan, had sought support from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh during the 2001 and 2006 Assembly elections.
Satheesan has categorically denied the allegations, asserting that he never sought votes from either the RSS or the Bharatiya Janata Party, and termed the claims baseless. He alleged that R V Babu, a resident of his constituency Paravur, was acting out of personal bias.
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R V Babu claimed that after losing the 1996 Assembly election, Satheesan approached a senior RSS leader in Ernakulam to seek support for subsequent elections, particularly in 2001 and 2006.
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Responding to Satheesan’s denial, Babu told a television channel that the Congress leader had earlier denied attending an RSS event in 2006 but later admitted to it. “Similarly, in future, he will be forced to admit that he sought RSS support in 2001 and 2006,” Babu said.
The controversy has gained political traction with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan demanding that Satheesan clarify the nature of any alleged “deal” made in Paravur in 2006. The row comes amid intense campaigning for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections, with both the LDF and UDF trading accusations over alleged links with the Sangh Parivar.
Responding to criticism from the Chief Minister over his participation in the 2006 centenary celebrations of Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, Satheesan said claims that the CPM alone fought the RSS while the Congress played no role would be rejected by the people of Kerala.
“The people of Kerala who know history will reject with contempt such claims,” Satheesan said in a social media post.
Escalating the attack, Satheesan described Pinarayi Vijayan as a “perfect RSS agent,” alleging that the Chief Minister had sent a senior police official to communicate with RSS leaders to safeguard himself and his family from central agency investigations.
He further countered the allegations by claiming that it was Pinarayi Vijayan—not himself—who had contested elections with RSS support in the past. He also referred to historical political alignments, citing leaders such as K G Marar, E M S Namboodiripad, Jyoti Basu, L K Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and V P Singh to argue that political alliances have evolved over time.
The exchange of allegations has further intensified the political atmosphere in Kerala, with both sides sharpening their attacks as the state heads into a crucial electoral contest.
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