Simmering factional strife within the Congress resurfaced on Thursday, with Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson V.R. Anoop launching a broadside against Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan for allegedly not agreeing to meet Kerala Students Union (KSU) president Aloshious Xavier. “The courtesy shown to Hindu Aikya Vedi’s K.P. Sasikala and R.V. Babu could have been extended to KPCC general secretary P.M. Niyas and Mr. Xavier. It’s their government, too,” Mr. Anoop said in a social media post.Mr. Niyas had unsuccessfully sought an appointment with the Chief Minister to apprise him of the alleged Sangh Parivar connection of N. Seshadrinathan, in the wake of his appointment as State Election Commissioner. Mr. Xavier had taken strong exception to the appointment of government pleaders, citing their alleged links with the Students Federation of India in the past. He told The Hindu that he was still awaiting a call from the Chief Minister’s Office.Later in the day, Mr. Anoop sought to clarify his position, maintaining that his aim was not to point fingers at the Chief Minister. “The CM has always taken the right stance that he is everyone’s CM, that he is accessible. He makes time to meet even Hindu Aikya Vedi leaders, who are on the other end of the ideological spectrum, which is unacceptable to any ordinary Congress member. But the Chief Minister is taking a democratic approach. All I have requested is that he exercises the same democratic, open-minded approach and meets Mr. Niyas and Mr. Xavier. I was airing an ordinary Congress member’s sentiment,” Mr. Anoop said. He said he was facing an attack on social media for his perceived closeness to All India Congress Committee general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal. “Mr. Venugopal isn’t an alien and is as much my leader as Mr. Satheesan is,” he said. Mr Anoop also sought to underscore the legacy of the KSU to rebuff Mr. Satheesan’s remark that a KSU unit would not get to choose government pleaders. Joining the fracas was Congress leader Raju P. Nair, a Satheesan loyalist, who found the mention of the Chief Minister giving an audience to the Hindu Aikya Vedi leaders “not very innocent.” “People in responsible positions in the party must conduct themselves accordingly,” Mr. Nair said.He said he was compelled to respond, seeing disillusioned individuals doing the job of the CPI(M) and the Sangh Parivar while remaining the face of the party. Mr Nair, who represents the party in news channel debates, took a dig at the media for harbouring an agenda against the government. “Whose spokespersons are those that fuel this agenda?” he asked. Published - July 16, 2026 09:47 pm IST