Kerala election 2026: Satheesan challenges CPI(M) to explain Pinarayi’s photo with Sabarimala case accused Potti before targeting Sonia Gandhi

Congress leader and Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) said the CPI(M) needs to first explain the photograph of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with Sabarimala gold loss cases prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti before accusing Sonia Gandhi in connection with that matter.

Mr. Satheesan was responding when reporters pointed out that after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sang a line from a popular parody song about CPI(M) leaders’ reported role in the gold theft at the Sabarimala temple, the Left party began a social media campaign making allegations against Ms. Gandhi in connection with the matter.

Mr. Satheesan said that Mr. Vijayan was the Chief Minister of the State, and he was allegedly aware of the misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple and who was behind it.

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“So, why did he take a photo with Potti? Let that be investigated first, and then we can investigate Sonia Gandhi,” he said.

Mr. Gandhi, on Monday, while addressing an election meeting in Pathanamthitta, had sung the line “swarnam kattathu aarappa” (“who stole the gold of Ayyappa”) from a song used by the UDF to influence voters against the Left during the local body polls a few months ago.