THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP national president Amit Shah, who will be on a whirlwind tour of Kerala on Tuesday, has his task cut out. He has to rein in the Kerala wing’s warring factions, which are at each other’s throats.
Shah, who is known to have several tricks up his sleeve and is looking to extend the party’s presence in South India – the party expects a fair share of seats from South India in the next Lok Sabha polls – will find the rebellion from the party’s Kerala leaders a hindrance to his plans.
“Shah’s visit primarily aims at charging up the party machinery ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. However, he will find it tough as the party system is not in place. With Kummanam Rajasekharan made the Mizoram Governor, the party has been headless for over a month which does not augur well for its growth,” sources in the BJP told Express. Despite doing reasonably well in the last Assembly polls, the Kerala BJP is in a political quagmire following Kummanam’s exit, as no activity has been taken up for party men in the past month.
After a secret survey which the BJP conducted in association with a Malayalam news channel showing Sreedharan Pillai’s name to head BJP state unit had prominence, Shah will consider the opinions from various quarters, including that of senior RSS pracharaks and former pracharaks who have grassroots exposure.
While the RSS brass is reluctant to meet Shah, a meeting may occur if the latter reaches the RSS Karyalaya in Thiruvananthapuram. It is clear Shah will take a final decision only after taking the state RSS leadership into confidence as it is the latter which has grassroots presence in the state.
Without the support and blessings of its mentor, the BJP will not be able to do anything in the state. A senior RSS pracharak told Express, “RSS doesn’t interfere in the day-to-day activities of BJP. However, we have our opinion which we will air at the concerned fora.” Another important factor which Shah will have to consider is the stand taken by BDJS, a powerful ally of the NDA, and its mentor SNDP. Sources said BDJS was supportive of Pillai as he had been sharing an excellent rapport with the organisation for the past several years.