There was a time when Kerala’s political class feared uttering the words “lottery mafia” too loudly. The network was believed to be too wealthy, too politically connected and too deeply embedded within the system. By the mid-2000s, the interstate lottery business had grown into one of Kerala’s most shadowy underground economies, thriving on desperation, poverty and false hope.

Daily wage earners across villages, coastal settlements and working-class neighbourhoods spent precious earnings on lottery tickets sold through sprawling networks that critics alleged operated beyond effective regulation.

Allegations surfaced about fake Bhutan lottery tickets, forged printing systems, benami operations, tax evasion and money laundering linked to Tamil Nadu-based lottery baron Santiago Martin. Politicians spoke privately about the syndicate’s influence over sections of politics, media and the state machinery, but few were willing to confront it openly.

It was during this period that a young Congress MLA from Paravur, V.D. Satheesan, began relentlessly pursuing the issue inside the Kerala Assembly. Armed with documents, financial records and painstakingly collected evidence, Satheesan transformed what many considered a politically dangerous subject into one of Kerala’s defining public confrontations.

He alleged that the lottery business had evolved into an organised exploitation racket that preyed upon the poor while corrupting public institutions. He demanded investigations into fake Bhutan lottery operations, questioned the legality of interstate lottery mechanisms and repeatedly highlighted the nexus between business interests and politics.

Unexpectedly, Satheesan found an unlikely ally in Kerala’s then chief minister, V.S. Achuthanandan. Though ideological warmth across political lines was rare in Kerala, the veteran Marxist appeared to recognise in the young Congress legislator a seriousness that transcended party divisions.

Achuthanandan, who had built his own political career fighting entrenched interests, understood that Satheesan was not merely performing outrage for television cameras. He genuinely believed the lottery network represented a dangerous political and financial menace.

The relationship between the two remained politically adversarial, yet marked by unmistakable respect. Achuthanandan had already initiated strong action against illegal interstate lottery operations and supported investigations into alleged irregularities involving Bhutan lotteries and forged tickets. Satheesan’s interventions strengthened that campaign.

Political observers at the time described the anti-lottery movement as a rare bipartisan moral confrontation against organised financial exploitation — an unusual moment in Kerala’s deeply polarised political culture, where a communist chief minister and a Congress opposition MLA effectively reinforced each other’s battle.

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That confrontation altered Satheesan’s political trajectory permanently.

It transformed him from a promising legislator into one of Kerala’s most respected political figures, a leader whose credibility rested not merely on rhetoric but on preparation, persistence and legislative rigour.

Today, as Satheesan joins the ranks of Kerala chief ministers alongside leaders such as E.M.S. Namboodiripad, C. Achutha Menon, E.K. Nayanar, K. Karunakaran, Oommen Chandy and Achuthanandan........

© National Herald