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Addressing the controversy over using his full name, which also included a caste surname, during the swearing in, Chief Minister VD Satheesan asked what was wrong in mentioning his father’s name. Satheesan, speaking to media persons after a Cabinet meet on May 20, also said that he was not aware that a full recital of Vande Mataram would happen during the swearing in.
The CM took the oath in his full name Vadasseri Damodara Menon Satheesan instead of VD Satheesan, which he had used in his swearing in as a MLA in the previous term. This created a controversy with even some Congress leaders openly criticising the use of an upper caste surname.
“What is wrong is mentioning my father’s name. I am sad that I couldn’t mention my mother’s name. Both had passed away before I became an MLA. I purposefully mentioned my father’s name. My heart was full. Shouldn't we remember our parents? There was no scope to mention my mother. Else I would have done that too. It is a matter of pride to say the names of my father and mother,” Satheesan said.
A day before, Congress leader Jinto John has issued a Facebook post, indirectly criticising the CM for using the caste surname. Jinto wrote that Congress 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.
Another Congress leader VR Anoop too raised similar concerns through social media, suggesting that the CM, being an avid reader, should take more time to read Ambedkar. However, many Congress workers came in support of Satheesan, sharing copies of his affidavit which mentioned his full name as ‘Vadasseri Damodara Menon Satheesan’.
Vande Mataram row
A day after the Communist Party of India (Marxist) termed the full rendition of ‘Vande mataram’ at the swearing in ceremony ‘a wrong move’, Chief Minister Satheesan said that they weren't aware of it being sung. “It was done as per the instruction of Raj Bhavan (Lok Bhavan, the official residence of the Kerala Governor). I realised the full version is being sung after having stood up. Can I obstruct 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 said, without going into the details of whether it was appropriate or not.
The Supreme Court in March 2026 had said that the Ministry of Home Affairs advisory on Vande Mataram is entirely optional and carries no penal consequences for non-compliance.
In a statement issued on May 19, the CPI(M) had said that the government should not support any move that could weaken the pluralistic society. “It was the Congress Working Committee which stated that the full recital of Vande Matharam was inappropriate for a pluralistic society. A portion of Vande Matharam presents beliefs of a particular religion. The song which was not even sung at the swearing in of BJP government in West Bengal was presented in Kerala. No one should take any steps to blemish secularism at a time attempts to create communal divisions are on a rise,” it said.
However, BJP Kerala unit termed it a desperate act of CPI(M) following its failure in the Assembly election. “Questioning Vande Mataram is the final desperate act of a decisively rejected CPM in Keralam. This is the problem with imported ideologies like Marxism - they remain fundamentally disconnected from India’s civilizational ethos, national pride, and cultural roots. The Left forces their own members to apologize in tears for saying Jai Hind. Now, it disrespects our national song to appease radical vote-bank forces like Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI, who have now shifted their support to a weak and remote-controlled Congress,” wrote BJP state president and MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar on social media platform ‘X’.