After the landslide victory in Kerala, a new controversy has arisen within the Congress amidst the efforts to form the government. VD Satheesan, who was considered to be the front runner for the post of Chief Minister, is now under attack for one of his statements and this statement is directly related to the reference of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In fact, Satheesan said in an interview to a media house that “Administrative experience is not an issue. What experience did VS Achuthanandan have? When Narendra Modi became the Chief Minister, what administrative experience did he have? He was a party organizer, not even a senior MP.”

That is, while arguing in his favor, Satheeshan took the help of Modi’s example. But this bet now seems to be backfiring for them.

“Giving example of Modi is a big red flag” – protest on social media There is a sharp reaction to this comment of Satheesan within the party and on social media. Many supporters believe that in the current political environment, praising Modi and using him for their claims is a “big red flag”.

VD Satheesan, Kerala Congress leader is praising Modi and using his example to strengthen his claim for the post of the Chief Minister of Kerala.

This is a major Red Flag for me, especially for the times that we are living. https://t.co/DlXqw82p1M

— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) May 6, 2026

This controversy has come to light at a time when the Congress high command is mulling over the selection of the Chief Minister in Kerala. That is, a statement has made the political equations more complex.

On one hand, Congress leaders should introspect, while some other videos are also going viral.

A video of Congress leader VD Satheesan is viral. Here he is praising the leadership abilities of Narendra Modi?

Is this personal opinion or party thinking? And when Rahul Gandhi on the other side… pic.twitter.com/pXVvYtXrpc

—Prof. Allahabadi ( نور ) (@ProfNoorul) May 6, 2026

“If there is no CM then there is no minister either” – Satheesan’s strict stance

Amidst this entire incident, news has also come to light regarding Satheesan’s stance. If sources are to be believed, it is being said that if he is not made the Chief Minister, he will not be a part of the cabinet and will remain only an MLA. Satheesan and his supporters are taking a tough stance and did not even talk to journalists while leaving after the CLP meeting.

#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam | Congress MLA-elect VD Satheesan leaves from KPCC office. The CLP meeting is underway with party observers for Keralam meeting each MLA individually. pic.twitter.com/5JCW0CqpVV

— ANI (@ANI) May 7, 2026

This signal makes it clear that Satheesan is now in full aggressive mode regarding his claim – which may pose a new challenge to the party leadership. Meanwhile, the message “Rahul Gandhi, make VD Satheesan the Chief Minister” is circulating on social media with more than 1 lakh comments, and supporters are holding a social media rally in support of VD Satheesan.

Victory of 102 seats, but internal strife

In the 140-member Kerala Assembly, UDF won 102 seats, while LDF was reduced to 35 seats. This victory has brought a big opportunity for Congress to make a comeback. Satheesan, who won from Paravur seat by a huge margin, is being considered the main face of this victory. His supporters argue that after the 2021 defeat, Satheesan built the organization and brought the party to power, hence his claim to the post of Chief Minister is the strongest.

CLP meeting and role of high command

Individual opinions were taken from all the MLAs in the CLP meeting held at the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office. As part of this process, party observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken met the leaders. Oommen Chandy’s son and MLA Chandy Oommen avoided endorsing any name publicly and said, “I have conveyed my views to the party leadership. I do not want to say anything publicly. The leadership will take a decision at the right time.” He also added that “Congress has a fixed SOP. We are MLAs elected by the public. We have given our opinion and the party will take the right decision on that basis.”

Now the biggest question is how the Congress high command will handle this entire controversy. On the one hand, Satishan’s strong claim and pressure from his supporters, on the other hand, the controversy arising out of the statement – it will not be easy to strike a balance between the two. This is not just a matter of leadership selection, but is also related to the ideological message and political line of the party. If satisfaction is ignored, there is a risk of dissatisfaction. If he is selected, he will have to answer the questions raised on his statement.

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