PM Modi, Amit Shah rang up prof KV Thomas to join BJP

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: K.V. Thomas, Ernakulam MP, who was denied a seat on Saturday, had received calls on Sunday morning from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, to join the BJP.

But a highly placed source close to Thomas told DC that he conveyed to Modi and Amit Shah about his firm stand to remain with Congress when they called him on Sunday morning. It was when Jaitley called Thomas with a slew of lucrative offers that he will never be able to follow the saffron politics, the Kerala BJP leaders realised that their game plan to poach Thomas will not work out.

Jaitley promised Thomas cabinet rank position in anticipation of quite a number of current Rajya Sabha MP’s contesting the Lok Sabha elections falling vacant.

“Thomas told Jaitley that he is not wearing the khadhi on his body, but on his mind. It was then the BJP camp realised that Thomas will remain elusive to BJP and will always remain loyal to Sonia Gandhi. Thomas did not attend the calls made by Tom Vadakkan who was keen to act as a messenger”, said a source close to Thomas to DC.

Hectic parleys were on since Saturday night over the phone and in person when a slew of calls came to Thomas’s mobile. Initially, the peeved five- time MP, 72 year old Thomas was in no mood to mellow down to the words of Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala. After day long deliberations with KPCC and AICC leadership, Thomas informed that he would remain as a Congress party worker. He maintained that he will remain with the Congress and would never resort to harm his party in any way.

"I have my own identity where I am not concerned with posts. I felt hurt by the approach being meted out to me by the party. Congress will emerge as winner in the Ernakulam LS constituency as it is a Congress stronghold", said Thomas

On Saturday, when Thomas did not come out with a firm reply on whether he would join BJP, alarm bells started ringing in the Congress camp. Ahmed Patel, political secretary to UPA chairman, Sonia Gandhi and Mukul Wasnik, AICC general secretary in-charge of the State held telephonic conversations with Thomas late on Saturday night. But a Congress source told DC that a peeved Thomas was more upset with the top brass of the AICC leadership comprising of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, CWC leader A. K. Antony and Congress president Rahul Gandhi not defending him when Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala vehemently batted for Hibi Eden. But Chennithala managed to convince before the CEC that Hibi has got more chance to trounce CPM’s P. Rajiv. This led Thomas to shout in anger at Chennithala when he initiated damage controlling measures by coming to his home in person on Sunday morning.

“KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran had actually favoured Thomas. But he was cowed down by pressure from Chennithala, CWC leader K. C. Venugopal, UDF convener Benny Behanan who will be contesting from Chalakudy. At the same time, KPCC vice president V. D. Satheesan MLA who is also the member in the AICC publicity and publication committee collected the support of MLA’s in favour of Hibi which was the biggest shock for Thomas”, said a Congress source.

Thomas will be meeting Sonia Gandhi on Monday morning where she is expected to offer him key posts in the party. Already she had conveyed him not to take any “hasty decision”. Later, Mullapally also came out in public and said that there were dissents within the party on giving him another term.