Thiruvananthapuram | KSU state president Aloshious Xavier on Monday met Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan and raised the student association's concerns over the appointment of a former SFI leader as a government pleader.

He said he was satisfied with the discussion.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Xavier said he had conveyed all the complaints and concerns of the Kerala Students Union regarding the appointment to the chief minister.

"The chief minister heard us patiently. It is now for the government to take a decision. We hope it will be a positive one. This is our government and our chief minister," he said.

When asked whether Satheesan had assured him that the controversial appointment would be withheld, Xavier declined to give a direct reply, saying that he had only apprised the chief minister of the KSU's concerns and was happy with the outcome of the meeting.

He also dismissed suggestions that the KSU, the Congress' students union, was heading for an open confrontation with the party-led UDF government, saying it would be inappropriate to speculate on the government's decision before it was taken.

The meeting assumes significance amid reports of differences between the KSU and the chief minister over the appointment of a former Students' Federation of India (SFI) leader as a government pleader.

The controversy had intensified after Satheesan said last week that government pleaders were appointed on the basis of merit and recommendations and that the government would not function under pressure from political or student organisations.

The issue was further fuelled by reports that the chief minister had ignored Xavier during a college programme in Kochi earlier this week, prompting criticism within Congress circles and on social media.