THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The day after the formal announcements, chief minister-designate V D Satheesan dedicated a major portion of his day to friendly visits with political leaders from different parties on Friday.
The highlight of the visits was the one Satheesan made to the residence of Pinarayi Vijayan at Bakery Junction here. The scene of the former CM shaking hands with the former LoP – who will soon be seen with their designations swapped – was both an epitome of political respect and a calm before the political storm in the coming days.
“Beyond the political differences, I came to see him as a seasoned politician. Though there are political differences, I have sought his support in major issues pertaining to Kerala,” Satheesan said. He also said that the developmental projects will continue, with corrections, if necessary, in the areas where criticisms were earlier raised. Notably, Pinarayi refrained from making any statements during the media interaction.
The CM-designate later paid a visit to the house of senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, another contender for the CM post. The visit was part of an obvious move to placate Chennithala, who stayed away from party meets after being sidelined in the CM race. Around half an hour before Satheesan came to his residence, Chennithala returned from his relative’s house.
As soon as he stepped out of his vehicle, his close aides started calling out, “Njangalude Omana Leadare, Koodeyund Koodeyund” (Our beloved leader, we are with you). However, the senior leader gestured ‘Why?’ to the workers, as all such calls had become insignificant at the moment. Elected MLAs Abin Varkey and V T Balram also marked their presence at Chennithala’s residence, where Satheesan arrived half an hour later.
After a 30-minute-long discussion, Satheesan and Ramesh walked out of the house together and addressed the media. “(Ramesh Chennithala) was my leader when I was a student. He still is, and will always be my leader. This is a meeting between two brothers, and he blessed me for taking up this post. I am sure that his support and blessings will always be with me,” Satheesan said after his conversation with Chennithala.
The latter also publicly extended his unconditional support to the CM-designate. However, workers who gathered in Chennithala’s house were seen expressing their frustration with the fact that their leader could not gain the top spot, as they continued their murmurs in interpersonal conversations.
Emotional scenes unfurled when Satheesan visited the house of former Speaker G Karthikeyan, as the CM designate turned emotional before the memories of his political godfather.
“It was Karthikeyan sir who convinced A K Antony and K Karunakaran to field me in the elections. He lifted me to mainstream politics,” Satheesan said. Speaking to the media, Karthikeyan’s wife, M T Sulekha, said that the couple treated the CM-designate as their eldest son. Satheesan also visited Kerala Congress leader P J Joseph at the MLA quarters and UDF convenor Adoor Prakash.