THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nothing seems to be going right for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala. The party is set to suffer a twin setback with an open revolt in Palakkad municipality under its control, and the threat by its ally, the Bharat Dharma Jana Sen (BDJS) to quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The Palakkad rebellion erupted in protest against the appointment of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJUM) leader Prasanth Sivan as BJP president of Palakkad. As many as nine party councillors have threatened to resign from the municipal council over Sivan’s appointment. The magnitude of the crisis can be gauged from the fact that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has had to intervene to quell the rebellion.
Several BJP councillors including vice-chairperson E. Krishnadas, standing committee chairpersons Smithesh and Sabu, senior party leaders V. Shivarajan and K. Lakshmanan boycotted the function in which Sivan was officially appointed.
It remains to be seen whether the RSS warning would have any effect. The crisis has erupted with the local body election only a few months away.
There are reports that Congress leaders including Rahul Mangoottathil, Congress MLA from Palakkad, have approached some of the BJP councillors with alluring offers. Sandeep Warrier, who has quit the BJP and joined the Congress is also playing an active role to destabilise the BJP in Palakkad, which is a party stronghold.
The BJP rebels have opposed the appointment of Sivan as he was nominated by senior BJP leader Krishnakumar, who contested from Palakkad and lost to Rahul Mangoottathil, and who belongs to the rival group in the party’s Palakkad unit. Their grouse: Krishnakumar has nominated Sivan by sidestepping a few others who had better claims to the post.
As if the Palakkad revolt is not enough, the BJP is faced with the prospect of its ally, BDJS quitting the NDA alliance. Angry over the neglect by the BJP, the BDJS has called an emergency meeting at Chertala, Alappuzha.
The main agenda is to discuss a demand raised by the Kottayam district committee to quit the NDA alliance led by the BJP. A few other district committees of the BDJS have also supported the Kottayam district committee’s demand.
It may be mentioned that a leadership camp organised by the BDJS Kottayam district unit saw a resolution being passed urging the party to sever its links with the NDA. The resolution highlighted the BJP’s steadfast refusal to give due recognition to the BDJS despite its nine-year alliance with the BJP. It empowered BDJS state president Tushar Vellappally to explore the possibilities of an alliance with other political fronts.
The BDJS is extremely unhappy about the party’s lacklustre performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, especially in Kottayam, a party stronghold. Although Tushar Vellappally who contested from Kottayam polled more votes than the NDA candidate in the last LS election, the BDJS is irked by the lack of support from the BJP. Though he BDJS leadership had brought this to the notice of the BJP, the party has not done anything to sort out the differences over the matter.
The BDJS’s rebellious mood cannot but cause grave concern to the BJP, Reports have it that both the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front(LDF) and the Congress-headed United Democratic Front(UDF) are keen on bringing the BDJS, which has considerable influence within the Ezhava community, into their respective folds. (IPA Service)
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