BDJS to go solo in polls: Vellapally Natesan
ALAPPUZHA: Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan on Tuesday said his Bharatiya Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) was not joining any front including the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Assembly elections this summer.
It would adopt a tactical line instead. Talking to reporters at his Kanichukulangara residence here, Mr Natesan said his party was planning to go it alone in at least 20 seats where it had a strong presence, but neither he nor his son would be in the fray.
“The BDJS is not part of any front. We are weighing our options now. A meeting on February 19 will decide the future course,” he said.
He appreciated Communist Party of India (CPI) secretary Kanam Rajendran toeing his line that the government was doling out benefits to minorities disproportionately. Like him, he said, there are many takers for Sena’s ideology in both Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF).
“I would appreciate his courage to tell the truth,” he said, adding that both the LDF and UDF leaders were in secret talks with him. “BJP state president had come here seeking blessings for his Yatra. We also talked politics. Others came at night, and they got night wishes.”
It was not the first time the BDJS taking a stand against an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. His son Tushar Vellappally had on January 13 told DC that there was no particular reason for an alliance with the saffron party.