New Delhi: Within four days of assuming the Kerala chief minister's post, Congress leader VD Satheesan has become embroiled in a political controversy that centers not on policy or governance, but on his name. Congress leaders have criticized their own chief minister for the name he chose to use publicly while taking his constitutional oaths.
The row erupted after Satheesan used his full legal name, 'Vadasseri Damodara Menon Satheesan', during his swearing-in as chief minister on May 18 and again while taking oath as an MLA of the 16th Kerala legislative assembly on Thursday.
What's in the name?
The controversy stems largely from the contrast with Satheesan's earlier public political identity. When he took oath as an MLA in 2021, he had identified himself simply as 'VD Satheesan'. This time, however, he chose to use the expanded version of his name at two high-profile constitutional ceremonies. The surname 'Menon' belongs to the upper-caste Nair community in Kerala.
Satheesan was selected for the top post by the Congress high command after the party won the recent assembly elections, wresting power from Pinarayi Vijayan's Left government after a decade. Following Satheesan's move, critics within his own party argued that foregrounding a caste title sits uneasily with the party's secular and inclusive image.
According to PTI, some Congress insiders also felt there was a political message in the move, especially amid criticism from the BJP and the CPM over the Congress-led UDF's engagement with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Jamaat-e-Islami. Some within the Congress interpret the use of the surname Menon as an attempt to signal outreach towards sections of Hindu voters at a time when identity politics is becoming sharper in Kerala.
Congress leader Jinto John, in a Facebook post, said that a Congress party that does not carry caste surnames is more inclusive. He wrote that he would use 'Jinto John' instead of 'Thekkumkattil John Roman Catholic Jinto', invoking the name of the community he belongs to. "My politics is also shaped by my convictions, a slightly left-leaning Congress consciousness," he added.
Similarly, another Congress leader, VR Anoop, in a social media posting, suggested that CM Satheesan should take more time to read Ambedkar. He argued that caste in Kerala continued to function as social capital and social power. Referring to Satheesan's public image as a serious reader, Anoop wrote: "Even amid the pressures of official responsibilities, since you find time for reading, you should also find more time to read Ambedkar."
The issue gained further attention because two influential Hindu community organizations, the Nair Service Society (NSS) and the SNDP Yogam, were reportedly not enthusiastic about Satheesan's elevation as chief minister, PTI reported.
Satheesan asks what's wrong in it?
Amid criticism from his own party leaders, Satheesan defended his decision and asked, "Why is it wrong if I mention my father's name?" Satheesan strongly rejected suggestions that the move carried caste or political messaging. Addressing reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the CM said he had intentionally used his full name to honor his late parents.
"Why is it wrong if I mention my father's name? Shouldn't I remember him?" Satheesan asked, according to ANI. "That is my father's name. I am sad that I couldn't take my mother's name too. Both of them passed before I became an MLA. I took my father's name. It is common to do that," he said. He further added: "Even in the passport, it is written like that. Since there was no option to tell my mother's name, I remembered her in my mind. It is a matter of pride to speak my parents' name."
The 'Vande Mataram' controversy
Amid the controversy over the use of his surname, Satheesan's oath ceremony as CM had also triggered a separate political debate after the full version of 'Vande Mataram' was rendered during the swearing-in of the new UDF cabinet. Satheesan later clarified that the government had no prior information that the complete version of the song would be played.
"We did not know that Vande Mataram would be rendered in full. The instructions came from Lok Bhavan. We realized it only when it began being sung in its entirety while we were standing there," he said on Wednesday, according to ANI. "It was not possible to interrupt it midway. Usually, only the national anthem is sung by the end of the event. Now this too is included. We had no prior information," he added.
The CPM criticized the move, saying rendering portions excluded by the Congress Working Committee in 1937 was a wrong and inappropriate step. "It was the Congress Working Committee itself that took the position that rendering all portions of Vande Mataram was not suitable for a plural society," the CPM said in a statement. The party further stated: "No action that weakens a plural society should come from the side of the government. At a time when attempts to divide people on communal lines are becoming more active, no action that harms secularism should come from any side."
