NEW DELHI: Following the Congress party’s announcement of VD Satheesan as Kerala’s next chief minister, the BJP swiftly criticized the decision, claiming it was swayed by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and accusing Congress of capitulating to its coalition partner.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his dissatisfaction with Congress’s decision, stating, “Janta Mandate & MLA choice gone for a toss.” He further alleged that the new chief minister would be “Remote Controlled by IUML” and claimed that pressure from the IUML and the Jamat influenced Congress’s choice for the CM.
The BJP’s Kerala unit reinforced these accusations, with senior leader MT Ramesh asserting in a statement that the Congress’s leadership has become subservient to the Muslim League. He remarked, “It has once again been proven that the Congress High Command’s henchman is the Muslim League and Ponnani.” The BJP also contended that Congress had no choice but to bow down to the IUML due to its political reliance in the state.
“11 days after the Keralam election results were declared on May 4, Congress has finally announced VD Satheesan as Keralam’s next CM,” the BJP Kerala handle noted in another post. It added that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were aware that the Indian National Congress (INC) could not survive in Kerala or safeguard Wayanad without IUML support, highlighting Satheesan’s appointment as evidence of Congress’s submission to the IUML.
In a graphic circulated by the BJP, IUML state president Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal was illustrated in a commanding position, with Rahul Gandhi and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge depicted bowing before him, while Satheesan was illustrated as fanning Thangal. These messages were disseminated under the hashtag #CongressPoliticsOfAppeasement.
