BJP slams Kerala CM Satheesan over LPST job aspirants' agitation
Synopsis
Kerala CM Satheesan promised to resolve LPST job aspirants' demands when he was in the Opposition — now BJP leaders are standing at the same protest site, six months into his tenure, alleging he is using police to silence the very protesters he once championed.
Key Takeaways
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar , national secretary K.
Surendran , and MLA V.
Muraleedharan visited LPST job aspirants protesting outside the Thiruvananthapuram Secretariat on 12 November .
The agitation by Lower Primary School Teacher (LPST) job aspirants has entered its sixth month without a resolution from the Satheesan government .
BJP leaders alleged that CM V.D.
Satheesan had promised to resolve the protesters' demands within 24 hours of the UDF coming to power.
Surendran recalled that Satheesan was 'moved to tears' when protester Valarmathi shaved her head, contrasting that empathy with an alleged current police crackdown on demonstrators.
Muraleedharan challenged Rahul Gandhi and K.C.
Venugopal to clarify whether the Chief Minister's stance is the Congress party's official position.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, 12 November intensified its attack on Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan over his government's handling of the prolonged agitation by Lower Primary School Teacher (LPST) job aspirants in Thiruvananthapuram, accusing him of reneging on assurances he gave when he was Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly.
Senior BJP leaders — state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, national secretary K. Surendran, and party MLA V. Muraleedharan — visited the protesters assembled outside the Secretariat and expressed solidarity with their demands.
Chandrasekhar's challenge to the Chief Minister
Chandrasekhar drew a pointed parallel to Satheesan's days in the Opposition, noting that the Chief Minister had made strong public statements in support of the then-ongoing Asha workers' strike. 'I am here not to make this a controversy. The people in Kerala gave a vote for Satheesan to solve issues, but it's going to be six months now and apart from talks, no headway has been made. We demand that the job aspirant's demands be met, and till it's met, we will be with them,' Chandrasekhar said.
Surendran invokes the Valarmathi episode
Surendran alleged that Satheesan had personally visited the protest site while in the Opposition and pledged a permanent resolution to the LPST aspirants' grievances if the United Democratic Front (UDF) came to power. After assuming office, however, the Chief Minister had reportedly been using police to dismantle the protest venue and silence demonstrators, Surendran alleged.
He specifically recalled that Satheesan had expressed deep anguish when a woman protester, Valarmathi, shaved her head as part of the agitation — claiming the Chief Minister was moved to tears at the time. Critics argue the contrast between that public display of empathy and the present crackdown underscores the charge of double standards.
Surendran also contended that Satheesan's government was replicating the 'politics of neglect' that he had attributed to the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration led by Pinarayi Vijayan, adding that the BJP's long-held position — that the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) were no different on governance — was being vindicated.
Muraleedharan's 'double standards' charge
Muraleedharan went further, accusing Satheesan of hypocrisy: preparing to lead protests in Delhi on national issues while dismantling demonstrations on his own doorstep in Kerala. He called the Chief Minister's approach authoritarian and unacceptable.
Muraleedharan also alleged that the same UDF leadership that had promised to fulfil LPST aspirants' appointment demands within 24 hours of assuming office was now tearing down their protest encampment. He challenged Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and K.C. Venugopal to publicly clarify whether Satheesan's current stance represented the official position of the party.
What BJP is demanding
The three BJP leaders collectively demanded that the state government open formal talks with the LPST aspirants and issue clear, time-bound assurances regarding their appointments. The agitation has now stretched past the six-month mark without a concrete resolution, keeping the issue in the political spotlight ahead of a potentially contentious period for the Satheesan administration.
Point of View
Now on the record, make it harder for the Congress to frame this as BJP point-scoring. The more significant test, however, is whether the Congress high command responds to Muraleedharan's direct challenge to Rahul Gandhi and K.C. Venugopal — silence would be read as endorsement of the crackdown, while a public pushback against Satheesan would signal uncomfortable intra-party friction. Either way, the LPST aspirants remain in limbo six months on, which is the real indictment.
NationPress
12 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the LPST job aspirants' agitation in Kerala about?
The Lower Primary School Teacher (LPST) job aspirants have been protesting outside the Thiruvananthapuram Secretariat for over six months, demanding that the Kerala government fulfil its appointment commitments. The agitation has drawn political attention after the BJP alleged that Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan promised to resolve their grievances within 24 hours of the UDF coming to power.
Why is the BJP accusing CM Satheesan of double standards?
BJP leaders allege that Satheesan actively supported the LPST protesters and visited their site when he was Leader of Opposition, pledging a permanent solution. After becoming Chief Minister, he has allegedly allowed police to dismantle the protest venue — a sharp reversal that BJP leaders are calling out as hypocrisy.
Who are the BJP leaders who visited the LPST protest site?
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, national secretary K. Surendran, and party MLA V. Muraleedharan visited the protesters outside the Secretariat on 12 November 2026 and expressed solidarity with their demands.
What was the Valarmathi incident referenced by K. Surendran?
Surendran recalled that a woman protester named Valarmathi had shaved her head as part of the ongoing agitation, and that CM Satheesan, then in the Opposition, had publicly expressed anguish and claimed he was moved to tears by her act. BJP leaders allege the same Chief Minister is now overseeing a police crackdown on the same protesters.
What has the BJP demanded from the Kerala government?
BJP leaders have demanded that the state government open formal talks with the LPST aspirants and provide clear, time-bound assurances on their appointment demands. They have also challenged Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and K.C. Venugopal to publicly state whether CM Satheesan's current stance is the party's official position.
