Kerala Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan vows strict action against ‘Congress person’ accused of misconduct toward aspiring actor

Kerala Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has promised strict action against the “Congress person” accused of sending “inappropriate” messages to a television-presenter-turned-aspiring-actor.

Fielding a barrage of questions from journalists in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday (August 21, 2025), Mr. Satheesan refused to identify the accused person by name. He repeatedly ignored shout-outs from journalists who raised the alleged wrongdoer’s name several times in front of television cameras.

Mr. Satheesan also rejected accusations that he had defended the “young politician” despite entreaties from the accuser. 

He denied that the woman’s politically stormy reference to “broken idols” was an allusion to his alleged apathy towards her grievance.

‘She is like my daughter’

“The complainant, who is my constituent, had come on record that I am a father figure to her. I have kept that faith. She is like my daughter. When I first heard of the issue, I reacted as a father should. I kept her best interests in mind”, he added.

Mr. Satheesan denied that she had petitioned the Congress leadership.

He also said the party did not brook such “inappropriate behaviour” in its rank-and-file.

“The Congress will punish conducts which run against the party’s basic ideology and ethics. I will personally ensure that justice is served, irrespective of whether the person is a young and promising leader in the organisational hierarchy”, he added.

Mr. Satheesan accused certain social media handles linked to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] of launching cyberattacks against the woman in a bid to provoke her into targeting the Congress.

He also accused certain sections of the media of attempting to put the Opposition Leader’s office at the centre of the controversy. “Please do not push the complainant into the vortex of recriminatory politics”, he added.

When asked whether he had misread the “young leader” who was supposedly close to him, Mr. Satheesan replied: “I am not a mind reader or a face reader. People have different shades to their character, some of which are not always decipherable until belatedly”, he added.