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Satheesan slams speech of RSS ideologue at Raj Bhavan

Satheesan slams speech of RSS ideologue at Raj Bhavan

Time of India22-05-2025
T'puram: Opposition leader V D Satheesan has strongly criticised the recent political speech made by RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy at a Raj Bhavan event organized under the banner of '
Operation Sindoor
'.
Satheesan, speaking to the media at the KPCC headquarters on Thursday, called the act "unfortunate and inappropriate" and demanded that the state govt formally convey its protest to the governor.
He clarified that while there was no objection to the event itself, Raj Bhavan platform is not the place for political remarks against past govts or prime ministers. "If it's a seminar, bring in military experts or foreign policy professionals.
Calling an RSS leader to make political statements is unbecoming," he said. The opposition has demanded a clear stance from the chief minister on this issue and criticized the governor's conduct for allowing political narratives to be pushed through Raj Bhavan.
He said the govt must clarify whether media organizations were paid for promoting the 4th anniversary of the govt beyond advertisements. He accused the govt of paying media houses and online platforms for coverage aimed at promoting individual ministers rather than informing the public.
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"Let the CM say such payments weren't made" he said.
He reiterated that he was questioning the govt, not the media. "It was the industries minister who twisted my question as an attack on journalists. I never criticized journalists." On the condition of national highways, the opposition leader slammed the state govt for taking credit for projects without ensuring quality. "Small rains have left the national highways cracked across Kerala.
We warned about unscientific construction.
Where are those who put up flex boards claiming credit now?" he asked.
He alleged that by bypassing soil tests and scientific procedures, the state was responsible for poor roadwork. "Flooding is inevitable during the monsoon because canals and water bodies were covered for construction. There was no coordination by the state in implementing centrally funded NH projects," he said, adding that he would write to Union minister Nitin Gadkari demanding a thorough probe into the construction of NHs in the state.
"There was no proper engineering supervision. The same govt that glorified the highways during its anniversary is now silent as the roads collapse," he said.
He also flagged the internal discord among ministers over Smart City road projects. "We learnt about ministerial disagreements from the media. There is more to come," he said.
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