Thiruvananthapuram, May 23 (IANS) Senior BJP leader K. Surendran on Saturday attacked the Congress-led Kerala government over the appointment of Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan Kelkar as Secretary to the newly appointed Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, alleging double standards and political hypocrisy.

In a strongly worded social media post, Surendran drew a comparison with the recent controversy surrounding the appointment of former West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal as Chief Secretary in that state.

Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Bengal appointment, Surendran questioned why the Congress was maintaining silence over a similar move in Kerala. “When the BJP appoints former West Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal as Chief Secretary, Rahul Gandhi screams, ‘The bigger the theft, the bigger the reward’.”

“But exactly 10 days later, the Congress government in Kerala, led by V.D. Satheesan, appointed Kerala CEO Rathan Kelkar as Secretary,” Surendran wrote.

He then posed a sarcastic question aimed at Rahul Gandhi: “So, Rahul ji, what happened in Kerala? Is it still ‘reward for theft’ or suddenly the beauty of democracy?”

The BJP leader’s remarks have added a fresh political dimension to the ongoing debate over post-retirement and post-election appointments involving senior bureaucrats and election officials.

The Congress leadership in Kerala has not officially responded to Surendran’s allegations so far.

Surendran, one of the BJP’s most visible faces in Kerala politics, had contested from the politically sensitive Manjeswaram Assembly constituency in Kasaragod district, the northernmost Assembly segment in the state. While he finished second in the fiercely fought 2021 Assembly election, he slipped to the third position in 2026.

The BJP reopened its account in the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly by winning three seats.

The controversy also comes at a time when political parties in the state are engaged in intense public sparring over governance, appointments and allegations of institutional favouritism following the Assembly elections.

–IANS

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