KOCHI: Chief Minister-designate V D Satheesan’s decision to retain the crucial finance portfolio, along with law and ports, is being seen as a reflection of both his firm administrative style and his much-recognised grasp of financial matters that has stood out over years of assembly debates and political confrontations.
For Satheesan, 61, finance is not unfamiliar terrain. Long before emerging as the Congress-led front’s principal strategist, he had built a reputation in the assembly for his command over financial and legal issues. His sharp interventions during Finance Bill discussions and his celebrated public debate with then finance minister T M Thomas Isaac on the inter-state lottery controversy during the 2006-11 LDF regime remain widely recalled in political circles.
The debate at the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club had elevated Satheesan’s profile beyond that of an opposition legislator. While Isaac argued that only the Union government had the authority to act against alleged violations of the Central Lotteries Act, Satheesan systematically countered the position, contending that the state had sufficient legal powers to verify the genuineness of lotteries and initiate criminal proceedings against fraudulent operators.
The performance earned him recognition for his detailed understanding of constitutional and financial issues. Political observers believe the finance portfolio will also allow Satheesan to closely monitor the functioning of other departments and ensure quicker clearances for flagship projects and welfare schemes promised by the UDF government.
During an interview with TNIE during the election campaign, Satheesan had reiterated his long-standing criticism of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), calling it an “extra-budgetary system” that violated constitutional provisions governing borrowing. However, he clarified that a UDF government would not abandon the institution. “We have raised debts and given a sovereign guarantee. The state has the responsibility to repay. We will study KIIFB and restructure the body,” he had said.
On infrastructure, Satheesan maintained that development projects must remain environmentally sustainable. Explaining the UDF’s opposition to the SilverLine project, he had argued that it would have caused “an environmental disaster”, while backing alternatives such as straightening railway curves and adding new lines along existing tracks for faster rail connectivity.
With ports also under his watch, Satheesan is expected to oversee the progress of the Vizhinjam International Seaport project directly.
“With Adani’s Vizhinjam port progressing fast, Satheesan as CM can oversee its completion, clearing hurdles, if any. This is Kerala’s flagship project. He will not want to send any wrong message to investors,” said an official in the outgoing LDF government.
Environmentally sustainable projects
On infrastructure, Satheesan maintained that development projects must remain environmentally sustainable. Explaining the UDF’s opposition to the SilverLine project, he had argued that it would have caused “an environmental disaster”, while backing alternatives such as straightening railway curves.
