Kummanam faces flak for RSS bias'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan has been facing the wrath of a section of the BJP leaders for depending too much on the RSS leadership. They feel that he is unable to take independent actions and is waiting for clear-cut directions from the RSS.

Both RSS and BJP are sending out messages to their cadres that they would wrest 40 seats in the Assembly elections under the hope of getting 20 seats which itself is an inflated projection.

Ever since his appointment as the new party chief on last December, his colleagues assert, he has not taken any independent decision including the appointment of new functionaries.

RSS leadership under the aegis of state secretary and Prantha Karyavahak P.  Gopalankutty Master made the final call on the district and state office bearers which did not go down well with the majority of the BJP leaders especially those from Malabar.

A prominent party leader told DC that with two months to the Assembly elections, cadres expect party president to act swiftly and wisely. “He doesn’t have much time as Assembly elections are round the corner. He is not a shrewd politician, and he depends too much on RSS. Since RSS is meddling in the party affairs, it is the RSS shakhas which are getting weakened. Never before has RSS taken an active role in the day-to-day affairs of the BJP. The outcome is going to be that shakha meetings are not held in right earnest,” said a senior leader.

Also, after the civic elections, BJP leaders are on a hype, thinking of garnering a massive victory in the Assembly elections. All the Sangh Parivar organisations are hopeful of creating history. But a significant chunk of the BJP leaders believe the statistics were exaggerated.

If earlier all the BJP and RSS leaders were consulted on all crucial issues, now it doesn’t happen. BJP leaders fear that the communication gap might create fissures in the lower rung.