THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF strategy to target SNDP Yogam geneal secretary Vellapally Natesan ever since he announced a tie-up with the BJP appears to have worked on the ground.
The Left wants to keep the heat on the SNDP leader throughout the entire campaign to tie him down. It's a two-pronged strategy: bombard him with grave allegations and brand him as a pro-rich leader who cares a damn for the poor in the community.
The allegations pertaining to corruption in admission and appointments in SN Trust institutions, micro-finance and the latest regarding Swami Saswathikananda's death are being used by the Left to isolate Vellapally.
The party has strategically chosen Opposition leader V. S. Achuthanandan to corner Vellapally on corruption issue.
The campaign on Saswathikananda's death has two objectives: rally anti-Vellapally forces in the community and force the UDF government to order a probe to preempt any possibility of a clandestine Congres-SNDP-BJP understanding.
CPM politburo member M. A. Baby said the Left was raising questions against Vellapally as part of its political strategy. "Natesan has converted the SNDP and SN Trust into a family business. But our focus is on local issues and the UDF government's failure to provide adequate funds to local bodies," he said.
BJP spokesman V. V. Rajesh, however, accused the CPM of raising these issues to checkmate their growth in the state. "These allegations have come up ever since the BJP leadership held talks with SNDP leaders. Those raising the allegations are first meeting Achuthanandan and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan before going public. They are not approaching courts for a fair investigation," he added.
With the CPM raising the pitch against Vellapally, the BJP's position seems to have become dicey. It can neither forcefully oppose nor defend the allegations against the SNDP leaders. The Congress too has started attacking Vellapally after a lull.
Though the BJP and Congress tried to hit back questioning Achuthanandan's failure to order a reprobe during his tenure, their argument is lost in te din of sensational charges coming up every day.
For the moment, Vellapally, who was planning to float a third front, is busy defending himself from the barrage of allegations coming from right, left and centre.
