THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state BJP leaders have been trying their level best to make the party’s three-day national executive and council meetings from September 23 to 25 in Kozhikode a grand success. They are operating on a Rs 10-crore budget without taking any help from the national leadership. All the top state leaders of the party are camping in Kozhikode.
However, former presidents P. S. Sreedharan Pillai and C. K. Padmanabhan are keeping off the finance sub-committee meetings. A BJP leader told DC that while Mr. Pillai had been sidelined in almost all the important meetings, Mr. Padmanabhan had been made a member of the finance sub-committee while his predecessors and successors are co-conveners.
“State president Kummanam Rajasekharan is the convener of the finance sub-committee and all the former presidents barring Mr. Padmanabhan have been made co-conveners by Mr. B. L. Santhosh, BJP national organising joint secretary. The four BJP general secretaries are members of the sub-committee and Mr. Padmanabhan has been included as a member. He felt insulted and has not been attending any of the meetings these days,” said the BJP leader.
A section of BJP leaders is optimistic of getting funds from the central BJP leadership for the smooth conduct of the event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked Mr. Santhosh to render all help to the state BJP leadership, including on financial matters, it is learnt.
