Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan amid party rifts and labor protests over US IT layoffs

A US‑based IT firm in Kerala laid off more than 850 medical‑coding employees from its Kochi and Kozhikode offices. CPI(M) leader and former labour minister V. Sivankutty condemned the move, saying the new central labour codes enabled the dismissals and called for protests and legal action. Kerala Labour Minister Bindhu Krishna ordered the layoffs to be put on hold and summoned the company for a meeting.

Within the ruling Congress, a faction led by AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal has demanded an urgent Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee meeting, accusing Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan of making major policy and appointment decisions without consulting the party. Issues raised include the appointment of a special government pleader, the State Election Commissioner, a low‑alcohol tax cut and the Adani Vizhinjam port stake sale.

Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan warned that the CPI may reconsider its alliance with the Left Democratic Front after a dispute over the Deputy Leader of the Opposition post in the Kerala assembly, signalling deeper cracks in the LDF coalition.

Satheesan’s leadership is therefore facing simultaneous pressures: a labour protest over the IT layoffs and intra‑party challenges from both the Congress and Left partners, setting the stage for a series of high‑level meetings that could reshape Kerala’s governing dynamics.