Thiruvananthapuram: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been embarrassed by the claim of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader R Balashankar that a CPM-BJP deal has been made over the Chengannur legislative assembly constituency in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district. Meanwhile, the CPM is trying to put on a brave front and hit back at the BJP and Congress.
The BJP finds itself on the back foot though state president K Surendran said that Balashankar was reacting emotionally over not getting the party ticket to contest. "I did not know that he was interested in entering the poll fray," Surendran claimed.
The Congress leadership were quick to make the most of the BJP leader's disclosures. Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that this (CPM-BJP deal) was a tactic employed to retain power in the state, while KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran said that deals were struck across Kerala ahead of next month's state election.
Mullappally pointed out that the RSS leader had said deals were made over four constituencies. “The attempt is to repeat the Thillankeri model in the local body polls,” he said. The Congress state chief was revering to a local body bypoll in which the BJP candidate unexpectedly lost over 2,000 votes in a RSS stronghold and that helped the CPM candidate win.
AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy said that the public was aware of everything. "CPM wants to retain power and BJP needs some MLAs. The Congress had alerted that they would unite for this. Now, this has been confirmed by the BJP leaders itself. The public can understand all this. Such deals will not work out in Kerala," he asserted.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala of the Congress said Balashankar's allegations are serious. "An unholy nexus exists between the BJP-CPM in the state. It is being proven that the allegations reiterated by the opposition are true," he asserted.
CPM defence
Sensing trouble over Balasankar's statements, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called for a press meet in Kannur. Pinarayi demanded that both the Congress and BJP should first give an answer to the Nemom assembly poll result in 2016, when a BJP leader emerged victorious for the first time in the Kerala Assembly elections.
Pinarayi said that people are aware that the CPM does not need BJP's help to secure victory. "BJP state presidents had contested in Konni and Chengannur previously too. People are well aware as to who sold the votes to whom in those constituencies then. If Balasankar has said that the BJP leadership is a mafia that could be right,” the CM added.
Balasankar’s allegations
A prominent leader in the BJP's intellectual cell, Keralite Balashankar claims close ties with even Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was once touted to become the BJP state president.
Balasankar had also accompanied BJP national president J P Nadda, when he arrived in the state to kick-start the party's latest poll campaign in Kerala. Confident of getting the Chengannur seat, Balashankar had even started campaigning there. But in the list submitted from Kerala, Balashankar's name was listed in the second spot for Chengannur.
The first person on the list was Alappuzha district president M V Gopakumar and he was declared as the candidate.
Suspecting this to be a ploy by BJP national general secretary B L Santhosh, Balashankar turned against V Muraleedharan and K Surendran who are the confidantes of Santhosh in Kerala. He also alleged that Muraleedharan was misleading the Centre about the situation in Kerala.
He also claimed that declaring Biju Mathew, who was from the minority community, as the candidate in Aranmula was also part of this deal.
The BJP has listed Aranmula and Kazhakoottam as 'A class' constituencies. But even in Kazhakoottam, the candidate selection got delayed.
Senior BJP leader Shobha Surendran suspects a motive in naming BDJS state president Thushar Vellappally earlier from Kazhakkoottam when she expressed willingness to contest.
While Shobha mocked Surendran for contesting from Manjeshwaram and Konni, Balashankar slammed him for using a helicopter for campaigning. He said that ‘Surendran, who had questioned the Chief Minister's helicopter journey, was now flying’.
The BJP leadership also had to endure the lone sitting MLA O Rajagopal’s comments that the party's rival in Nemom was a strong opponent. Rajagopal made the remarks in the presence of NDA candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan.
In another ‘A class’ constituency of Thrissur, candidate Suresh Gopi stated that there was ‘a possibility of a contest, not chances of winning’!
The person, who was declared as the candidate in Mananthavady, said that he was unaware of his BJP candidature and withdrew from the poll fray. Thus, the BJP, which had claimed that it would stun all the two major political fronts in Kerala, is struggling with its own internal problems.
