THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took political circles by surprise on Thursday morning when he shot off a letter to Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar, seeking his personal intervention to help Thushar Vellappally, president of BDJS and convener of NDA in Kerala, who was arrested in Ajman, UAE. The deft political move, with an eye on the substantial Ezhava vote base, clearly pushed the state BJP on the defensive.
Pinarayi wrote to the NDA government at the Centre even as the state BJP was yet figure out a way to handle the situation. As expected, Pinarayi’s act did not go down well with the BJP, which alleged that Thushar’s arrest was a conspiracy. Thushar, arrested in a check-bounce case, was later granted bail and released from jail.
The move by Pinarayi has again brought to the fore the appeasement politics played by the chief minister, who is said to maintain a close relationship with Thushar’s father and SNDP chief Vellappally Natesan. He had stood with Pinarayi during the Women’s Wall movement, when the state government was on the back foot in the Sabarimala women’s entry issue. Vellappally is also one of the prominent faces in the Renaissance Protection Council, launched by the CM to take on his critics in the Sabarimala issue.
BJP’s delay to respond irks BDJS, SNDP
The BJP’s delay in responding to Thushar’s arrest has irked both the BDJS and SNDP leaderships in the state. That this came at a time when the state BJP has a Minister of State for External Affairs in V Muraleedharan added to the reasons for the SNDP to complain. That is why Vellappally thanked Pinarayi and businessman Yusuffali MA, and left out the BJP leadership. While Pinarayi has made the move with one eye on the Ezhava community, which forms a good chunk of the Communist vote bank, he is also keen to keep his relations with Vellappally intact.
The BJDS per se is irrelevant for Pinarayi and it is only the SNDP that matters to him. No wonder, in his letter to the Union Minister, Pinarayi referred to Thushar as the SNDP state vice-president. “As far as Pinarayi is concerned, Thushar is the vicepresident of SNDP and son of Vellappally. The BDJS factor is irrelevant for him.
The close ties the CPM and Pinarayi keep with SNDP cadre led by Vellappally will strengthen after this. The Left has always tried to prevent Ezhava cadre from moving away to other political pastures. This is another move that could help further cement this strategic base,” observed Left political commentator NM Pearson.
Granted bail post furnishing bond BDJS president and businessman Thushar Vellappally, who was arrested in Ajman, UAE, on Thursday in connection with a Rs 19-crore chequebounce case, was released on bail after furnishing a security bond of 1million Dirhams (Rs 2 crore).