THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite the BJP central leadership cracking the whip on dissidence and factionalism, three senior leaders of the state unit continue in sulk mode. State general secretary A N Radhakrishnan has expressed his opposition towards continuing in party posts under newly-elected state chief K Surendran. Two others, M T Ramesh and Sobha Surendran, who also share the same view, have evaded the central leadership’s attempts to broker truce.
While the three leaders were frontrunners for the president post, Surendran clinched it at the last moment, thanks to the firm backing of his mentor and Union Minister V Muraleedharan and a final but reluctant nod from P K Krishnadas, leader of the rival faction.
While in the state capital on Wednesday, BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh summoned the three sulking leaders for discussions. While Radhakrishnan met Santhosh and is understood to have voiced his inability to continue under Surendran, Ramesh and Sobha did not turn up. While “ill health” was cited as the reason for Sobha’s absence, the reason for Ramesh skipping the meet remained unknown. “Yes, I did have a meeting with Santhoshji on Wednesday morning. But I will not divulge details of the discussions I had with him,” Radhakrishan told TNIE. He added that his decision on whether to continue in his post will be conveyed in the appropriate party forum.
Unending factionalism
The dissension in the state unit reared its head from the very day Surendran took over as state president. While former state president Kummanam Rajasekharan, skipped the function, Sobha too gave the programme a miss. Radhakrishnan and Ramesh were conspicuously absent when Surendran assumed charge, but arrived just when the function was about to end, after being rapped on the knuckles by the central leadership.
Meanwhile, the party state president continued to be in denial mode. “We are all working unitedly. Reports of factionalism within the party are baseless. I have already taken a stance that I will not react to baseless reports,” Surendran told TNIE.
What next?
With the trio refusing to budge, the option before the party is to either provide them national level posts or appoint them at the helm of central boards or corporations in the state. The party will exercise the latter option for the two leaders. “A N Radhakrishnan and M T Ramesh are senior state leaders. However, their current stature does not warrant a national-level party post either. Besides, the central leadership is not very keen on accommodating more leaders at the national level now,” said a party insider. In this scenario, Sobha is likely to have an advantage over the other two. “In all likelihood, Sobha will be appointed to a top post in the BJP Mahila Morcha and deputed to play a larger role at the national level,” said a party source.
Organisational revamp
With four general secretary seats likely to fall vacant, names have started doing the rounds for the plum posts. State secretary B Gopalakrishnan, a loyalist of Krishnadas, is one of the top frontrunners. State spokesperson M S Kumar will be another choice. Both leaders are well-known faces who fiercely defend the party in TV channel discussions. RSS strongman from Kannur Valsan Thillankeri is also a probable for the general secretary post. “Surendran has to dow a fine-balancing act in an election year. The list of state office-bearers is likely to be finalised over the next two weeks,” said the source.