THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state vice-president Sobha Surendran undergoing a 48-hour fast in support of the agitation by job aspirants figuring in the PSC rank lists in the state capital and the party state leadership’s cold response to it has once again exposed the simmering factional issues in the state unit that are far from being resolved.Sobha’s sudden appearance at the protest venue has made the BJP state leadership go on the backfoot in terms of its support to the agitating PSC job aspirants. It is reliably learnt that the Mahila Morcha and Yuva Morcha had initially planned separate protest marches to the Secretariat on Thursday.
However, the state leadership allegedly dissuaded both the women and youth wings from taking out the march, lest it would be seen as an open support to Sobha. Neither did any leaders from the party’s Thiruvananthapuram district unit visit Sobha to extend their support to her fast.
“The central leadership has already given clear instructions that the party should go ahead unitedly before the assembly election. Unfortunately, what we see now is the party shying away from taking up important causes due to factionalism,” said a BJP core group member.
Meanwhile, the BJP state leadership is in a fix. If it backs the agitation of PSC job aspirants while Sobha is staging fast, it would be seen as an indirect endorsement of the woman leader as the party’s mascot in the protest. If the party keeps away from the PSC agitation for too long, it would risk giving the issue entirely on a platter to the UDF.
Meanwhile, political observers feel that the BJP’s reluctance in taking up the PSC rank holders’ cause for the time being, due to the Sobha factor, would cost it politically. The UDF has already taken a lead position on the issue with a strong protest by KSU on Thursday that drew a lot of public attention.
Sobha not to contest
Scotching speculation that she had returned to active politics to contest the upcoming assembly election, Sobha Surendran said she had already informed the party’s state and central leaderships that she will not be in the fray. The woman leader was reportedly peeved at the state unit allegedly spreading the word that Sobha’s protest was with a clear eye on an assembly seat.
Meanwhile BJP state president K Surendran evaded a direct response to Sobha’s statement. “The party’s central parliamentary board is the final authority on candidature in assembly poll,” Surendran said in Kozhikode.