THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state CPM leadership has been trying to rope in a few BJP leaders to the Left fold to dent the image of the saffron party. They include former BJP state president C. K. Padmanabhan, vice-president P. M. Velayudhan, former state secretary B. Radhakrishna Menon, former Ernakulam district president P. J. Thomas and BJP state committee leader K. K. Surendran who is also the husband of BJP general secretary Sobha Surendran.
The talks in this regard were mediated by former BJP Kannur district president O. K. Vasu who crossed over to the CPM in early 2014. Though Vasu along with another Kannur BJP leader A. Ashokan joined the CPM with much fanfare, they have not been properly accommodated. For quite some time, Padmanabhan, who originally comes from a communist family in Kannur, was sidelined by the BJP’s former president V. Muraleedharan and his successor Kummanam Rajasekharan. Even during the BJP national council meeting held in Kozhikode last month, Padmanabhan was not given due prominence.
BJP sources told DC that the CPM is hopeful of poaching BJP leaders belonging to Kannur, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Malappuram. Leaders like Radhakrishna Menon, Thomas and Surendran have been a wounded lot as they have not been getting due recognition in the party. It is alleged that the RSS nominees in the BJP state leadership, M. Ganesh and K. Subhash, both general secretaries, have taken control of the party leaving several BJP leaders high and dry. However, they feel that none of these leaders will ditch the party.
“All these leaders have been loyal to the BJP for several decades. Radhakrishna Menon is one of the director board members of Cochin Shipyard. Similarly, Thomas is now being considered as one of the national office- bearers of Kisan Morcha,” said a top BJP leader. The CPM leadership is tight-lipped about the developments and state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was not available for comments.
