THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With dissidence in the BJP state unit threatening to adversely affect the saffron party’s performance in the upcoming local body polls, Sangh Parivar fountainhead RSS has stepped in to quell the discord.Sources said BJP president K Surendran was given a stern ultimatum by the RSS top leadership that its cadre would not cooperate in the ensuing polls if dissidence is not ended immediately. The RSS stepped in after senior BJP leaders Sobha Surendran, P K Velayudhan and K P Sreeshan came out in the open with their grouse of being sidelined by Surendran in the party reorganisation.
Sobha’s studied silence to the speculation that she was all set to leave the party also made the RSS leadership intervene quickly in the matter. A source said the RSS expressed its displeasure at Surendran totally sidelining leaders who are not identified with the V Muraleedharan faction.
“Three senior RSS leaders have been assigned to hear the grievances of Sobha, Velayudhan and Sreeshan and to resolve the crisis at the earliest. They’ll meet these leaders soon,” said the source.Recently, Sobha, Velayudhan and Sreeshan, along with former and serving state office-bearers as well as national council members numbering over 20, had come together and sent a joint petition to the national leadership.
Surendran dubbed the entire dissidence episode as a “creation of the media”. It is learnt that dissident leaders told the RSS that the saffron party can perform well in the local body polls only if around 100 state-level leaders and around 1,500 local leaders, who have been totally sidelined, are given opportunity to function in the party.