Thrissur, 15 May (H.S.): Senior Congress leader K. Muraleedharan on Friday said that V.D. Satheesan was selected as Kerala Chief Minister after the Congress high command carefully assessed public sentiment and the views of party leaders across the state.
Addressing reporters, Muraleedharan said the leadership consulted MLAs, MPs and senior Congress functionaries before arriving at the final decision. According to him, there was a strong wave of support among the public for Satheesan to lead the new government during the Assembly election campaign itself.
“While campaigning during the elections, we could clearly feel that people wanted V.D. Satheesan to become the Chief Minister. Even after the elections, voters in my constituency expressed the same opinion,” Muraleedharan said.
He stated that the Congress high command considered all these factors before announcing Satheesan as the Congress Legislature Party leader and Chief Minister-designate.
Muraleedharan also referred to media reports that had suggested he was backing Satheesan in the leadership race. “Several media organisations reported that I was with Satheesan. I never made any effort to deny those reports. That itself means what was reported was correct,” he said with a smile.
On the question of whether senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala would be included in the Cabinet, Muraleedharan said the matter would ultimately be decided by the high command and Chennithala himself. He described Chennithala as a disciplined and loyal Congress leader who has always respected party decisions.
“Ramesh Chennithala has always accepted the decisions of the high command and worked as a committed Congress worker. There is no doubt that he will continue to function according to the party’s direction,” he said.
Rejecting allegations that the Congress leadership gave in to pressure from the Indian Union Muslim League in selecting Satheesan as Chief Minister, Muraleedharan termed the criticism a desperate attempt by the CPI(M) to justify its election defeat.
He asserted that the United Democratic Front remained united and also dismissed the BJP’s chances of emerging as a major political force in Kerala.
Muraleedharan further revealed that Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had personally spoken to Ramesh Chennithala after the leadership decision was finalised.
Taking a swipe at CPI(M) veteran Pinarayi Vijayan, Muraleedharan said the UDF would politically benefit if Vijayan continued as the Leader of the Opposition. “When Pinarayi was Chief Minister, the UDF won 102 seats. If he becomes Opposition Leader, the UDF may perform even better in future elections,” he said.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
