Opposition Leader Retracts False Claim in Kerala Assembly After Video Evidence Surfaces

Thiruvananthapuram: During a discussion in the Kerala Legislative Assembly on price rise, a claim made by Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan was found to be factually incorrect, leading to a retraction and apology.

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies G.R. Anil stated in the Assembly that Satheesan had praised the Supplyco Onam fair held in his own constituency, Paravur, highlighting the availability of all essential goods and commending the arrangements. In response, Satheesan strongly denied this, saying he had only visited the venue and did not deliver any speech. He accused the Minister of making a false statement.

However, a local channel, PCV News, later published a video showing V.D. Satheesan delivering a speech at the Onam fair inauguration. In the video, Satheesan clearly states that Supplyco’s intervention has helped stabilise the market, and that 13 essential commodities were being sold at subsidised rates — confirming exactly what the Minister had quoted.

Following the release of the video, Satheesan was forced to retract his earlier statement. Upon the intervention of senior legislator Mathew T. Thomas, Satheesan admitted that his earlier comment was incorrect, and he formally withdrew his remark calling the Minister a liar. He also requested the Speaker to remove the statement from Assembly records and apologised to both the Minister and the House.

The incident has drawn attention outside the Assembly as well. On social media, many questioned the credibility of the Opposition, especially when the Leader of the Opposition made a factual claim that was later proven false by public video evidence. The criticism also pointed to the responsibility of public leaders to verify facts before making accusations on the Assembly floor.

This incident raises questions about the Congress leadership’s approach in Kerala. Rather than presenting verified arguments on serious issues like price rise, the Opposition appeared to have relied on rhetoric without proper fact-checking. When challenged, the leadership initially denied facts, and only corrected the record after public evidence was brought forward.