PALAKKAD: In a significant political move just a few days ahead of the crucial by-election in Palakkad, BJP leader Sandeep G Varier joined the Congress on Saturday.
Varier, a former spokesperson of BJP, had been maintaining distance from the party for some time now, citing personal humiliation and lack of support from the leadership. His dissatisfaction with the BJP became all the more evident when he refused to campaign for BJP candidate C Krishnakumar in the by-election.
His switching sides — before the November 20 bypoll — is seen as a significant shift in the political landscape. While the move has come as a major jolt to the BJP leadership, the CPM chose to play it down.
The Congress, however, portrayed the move as a prize catch ahead of the crucial byelection.
The party managed to pull off a masterstroke by keeping Varier’s move under wraps to ensure a dramatic entry, thereby generating massive buzz and media attention. Congress leaders hailed the shift as a ‘surgical strike’ against the BJP and the CPM. It can also be seen as a strategic counter by the Congress to bolster its own support base.
BJP a ‘hate factory’: Sandeep Varier
Varier’s entrance into the Congress was dramatic, with a surprise entry into the DCC office during a press conference by KPCC leaders in Palakkad on Saturday. He was welcomed by Congress state president K Sudhakaran, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and AICC general secretary Deepa Das Munshi.
Amid sloganeering by jubiliant party workers, Varier slammed the BJP in his public remarks, calling it a “hate factory” that produces hatred from morning to evening.
“After ending connections with communal politics, I am taking membership in ‘Mohabat ka Dhukan’ (shop of love),” he said. Varier pinned his exit from the BJP on state president K Surendran and his team, saying, “Surendran and his team are the sole reason I joined Congress.”
He expressed frustration with the “constant compromises between the BJP leadership and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan”, and disappointment at not receiving the expected support and care from the BJP. Sudhakaran welcomed Varier, saying: “Congress is the only party capable of upholding secular values in India. We wholeheartedly welcome Sandeep, who has recognised this truth and joined us ”.
Satheesan echoed this sentiment, praising Varier as a “crystal-clear individual” who has moved from the “shop of hatred” to the “shop of love”.
CPM state secretary M V Govindan downplayed Varier’s exit from BJP, saying it wouldn’t make an impact.
Responding to the earlier speculation over Sandeep’s CPM entry, Govindan said, “Those who shift from their previous stance and align with Leftist politics will be welcomed. The stance of the individual is crucial.”
BJP state president K Surendran dismissed Varier’s exit, predicting a Congress defeat in the bypoll. He mocked Varier’s move, saying it’s just drama to mask their impending defeat.
Surendran also highlighted Varier’s timing, connecting it to Satheesan’s meeting with the families of the accused in the murders of Srinivasan and Sanjith. “I believe that the voters of Palakkad will perceive this in the right way. This is the betrayal of the martyrs,” he said.
Meanwhile, Varier’s past criticism of minority politics has now come back to haunt him. Minority groups took to social media, circulating videos of his previous speeches and posts that were harshly critical of minority religions.