Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has quietly reshaped the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing at the State Secretariat, Thiruvananthapuram into one of the more substantive political exchanges in the state — by doing something increasingly rare among elected leaders: staying back for every question.

A New Format at the State Secretariat

The weekly briefing under CM Satheesan follows a deliberate structure. He outlines Cabinet decisions concisely, without embellishment, and then opens the floor to reporters — an act that has become something of a novelty in contemporary political communication. The sessions are longer and more freewheeling than what journalists in Kerala have been accustomed to in recent years.

Wednesday's interaction was representative of the new format. As reporters competed loudly for the Chief Minister's attention, Satheesan smiled and posed a pointed question of his own: 'Which other Chief Minister has sat before you like this and taken every question?'

Ground Rules in the Briefing Room

There is, however, one firm condition in Satheesan's open-door approach. Once a reporter poses a question, interruptions are not tolerated. 'You have asked me a question. Now be patient and hear what I have to say. Please don't create a mess and a noise,' he has told journalists on multiple occasions when the briefing has threatened to devolve into a shouting match.

When the clamour continued on Wednesday, he appealed directly for order: 'Please don't make such a noise. I am sitting before you, and I will answer all your questions.'

The Contrast With Pinarayi Vijayan's Era

The shift in approach is hard to ignore when set against the style of his predecessor, former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who discontinued the weekly Cabinet briefing shortly after assuming office in 2016. Vijayan's media interactions were typically measured, tightly controlled, and brief — with a limited number of questions entertained before he exited. Satheesan, by restoring both the practice and the questions, has recalibrated the relationship between the Kerala government and the press corps.

What the New Dynamic Means

For journalists accustomed to chasing officials for answers, the current format offers a structural advantage. The sessions are noisier and occasionally resemble a college seminar more than a formal government press conference — but the access is real. Notably, this is not merely a stylistic preference; it signals a deliberate political choice about transparency and media engagement at the highest level of state governance.

Whether the format endures through policy controversies and politically difficult weeks will be the true test of its durability.