Satheesan said BJP leader Printu Mahadevan made the threat during a television debate on September 26. He noted that Congress leaders filed multiple police complaints across the state over the following two days and also held protests on September 27, in which he personally participated
Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan. PIC/ @vdsatheesan ON X
Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, on Wednesday accused CPI(M) ministers P Rajeev and M B Rajesh of making incorrect statements in the House regarding the Congress party’s response to a death threat issued against Rahul Gandhi by a BJP leader.
According to PTI, while speaking at a press conference at his official residence, Satheesan said BJP leader Printu Mahadevan made the threat during a television debate on September 26. He noted that Congress leaders filed multiple police complaints across the state over the following two days and also held protests on September 27, in which he personally participated.
“We expected the government to take swift action. When no FIR had been registered by noon on September 29, we raised the matter in the Assembly,” Satheesan said, reported news agency PTI. “The FIR was only registered later that evening, making the ministers' claim—that we did not protest or file complaints- factually incorrect.”
He further pointed out that Minister Rajeev seemed unaware that September 27 and 28 fell on a weekend when he questioned why Congress hadn’t raised the issue in the House sooner. Satheesan also refuted Minister Rajesh’s claim that a complaint was filed only on September 29, calling it inaccurate.
“I urge both ministers to withdraw their misleading statements,” he said.
Satheesan also criticised Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer for allegedly downplaying the threat, questioning how a death threat against Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, could be considered a “minor issue.”
Following protests in the House, opposition UDF MLAs told reporters that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan must clarify whether a statement suggesting Rahul Gandhi should be “shot in the chest” is truly a trivial matter. They accused the government of shielding the BJP leader and alleged this was further evidence of a covert alliance between the BJP and CPI(M) in Kerala.
As per PTI, in response, the BJP state leadership dismissed the allegations, accusing the Congress-UDF of spreading “unnecessary propaganda.”
Mahadevan, reportedly a former ABVP leader, allegedly made the inflammatory remarks during a televised discussion on protests in Bangladesh and Nepal. He later appeared before the police with party workers on Tuesday evening. His arrest was formally recorded, and he was granted bail after being produced before a court.
(With PTI inputs)
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