Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi: A core committee meeting of the BJP in Kochi on Sunday will discuss the crisis the party has been facing in the State, and the stand it should adopt in the Kodakara highway hawala case.
BJP national executive member in-charge (Prabhari) of Kerala C P Radhakrishnan will attend the meeting, which would also decide on who should respond to allegations against the party. BJP leaders have been of the view that police officers' intention of tarnishing the party's image should be exposed.
Currently, only state president K Surendran and those supporting him have been defending the party. But those opposed to Surendran, such as P K Krishnadas, M T Ramesh and A N Radhakrishnan have been remaining silent.
Some leaders were also contemplating to demand a leadership change in the State. But senior leaders opined that the party should stand together, irrespective of group rivalry, and face the crisis.
It has been alleged that the party has been ignoring leaders opposed to Surendran ever since he took charge as the president. The State leadership would also examine whether party insiders have any role in allegations repeatedly targeting Surendran.
Surendran to explain charges against party
Surendran and his group will be compelled to explain the allegations, including the hawala case, against the party at the core committee meeting.
His rival group has decided to boycott party meetings if Surendran’s explanation is not satisfactory. Additionally, they will also stand aside, leaving the responsibility of defending the party to the official faction.
The rival faction has been expecting the central leadership to initiate corrective measures since the party has lost its face. It is learnt that senior leaders from the party's 109 constituency-level panels have demanded a change in leadership.
