THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With a section of BDJS led by SNDP general secretary Vellapally Natesan and KPMS led by Punnala Sreekumar veering towards the Left, the LDF is hopeful of countering BJP attempts to make a dent into OBC and Dalit sections and consolidate their vote base ahead of crucial Lok Sabha polls. CPM leaders say OBCs and Dalits have started realising the true colour of Sangh Parivar. “We are not wooing them, they are coming on their own. During Chandy’s tenure, community pressure groups were calling the shots, even threatening the ruling front publicly,” said a Left leader.
The Left leaders view the public statement given by SNDP general secretary Vellapally Natesan to quit NDA and join hands with LDF, as a positive indication. Though it is too early to say how things will pan out in future, the indications on the ground suggest that there is some churning taking place in the BDJS camp. The Left is also hopeful of getting support from dalit organisations.
While inaugurating the four-day state conference of KPMS led by Punnala Sreekumar in Thrissur last month, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had cautioned the organisation against Sangh Parivar attempts to polarise society on religious lines. In response, Sreekumar had assured the Chief Minster that his organisation would stand with the progressive forces. At a time when the BJP and Sangh Parivar are making efforts to woo dalits in the state in a big way, the KPMS leader’s open call to stand with progressive forces is significant say Left leaders.
LDF convenor Vaikom Viswan said the developments that have taken place in the recent days were positive. “Traditionally, the marginalised and oppressed sections of the society have stood solidly with the Left parties. We are committed to address their issues. Our government’s major programmes are directed at their uplift,” he said. During the 2011 Assembly elections, BDJS had cut into mainly Congress votes resulting in defeat of UDF in at least 27 seats. The Left also suffered though not to a big extent as it garnered the anti incumbency vote. The BJP-BDJS alliance were mutually beneficial for the two parties. The BJP which secured 6.03 per cent votes in 2011 Assembly elections increased its vote share to 10.5 per cent while the BDJS secured 3.9 per cent in its debut contest. Together NDA polled 14.40 per cent votes.
