JOIN USIt hasn’t been long since G Sukumaran Nair and Vellapally Natesan – leaders of Kerala’s Nair and Ezhava communities, respectively – tried to put together a broad Hindu front to counter political parties which they claimed were sidelining “the majority community”.
The leaders have since drifted apart and have been exchanging fire through the media. While Nair keeps making statements maintaining “equal distance” from all political parties, Natesan has taken the big plunge by aligning with the BJP for the Assembly election.
Natesan, businessman and hotelier, is general secretary of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, an outfit representing the state’s backward Ezhava community. Considering the about 20% Ezhava population among Hindus in Kerala, SNDP’s possibilities in politics were debated for decades.
The alliance between the SNDP-run Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) and the BJP offers new possibilities – a crucial split in the Ezhava vote base or a backlash over what Natesan’s rivals have been charging as SNDP’s “compromise” on its core ideologies of social equality and justice.
Rise of Natesan
Natesan or his son Thushar Vellapally, also president of the BDJS, are not poll candidates but the party is making a big push on its electoral debut in 37 of the state’s 140 constituencies. There are reports that BJP state leaders were miffed over this special treatment but Natesan is learnt to have played his cards well with the BJP central leadership.
At Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first election rally in the state, in Palakkad, Natesan was seated next to the PM. The SNDP leader has also been “allotted” a helicopter for his campaign for NDA candidates, a rare show of poll-season swagger for Kerala. Natesan, facing charges of financial irregularities in connection with a micro-credit scheme run by SNDP, is one of the most discussed leaders this election season.
BJP activists say the idea is to build an alliance for the future. “It’s not only about this election. The BJP has, so far, fought alone against the two main coalitions. Now, it’s time to broaden its reach,” Gopakumar R, a party supporter in Thiruvananthapuram, said.
The BJP, yet to win an Assembly seat in Kerala, has a history of effecting decisive vote splits. With BDJS as partner, the BJP hopes to build on these splits and have a realistic shot at elusive electoral success. P S Sreedharan Pillai, senior BJP leader, feels that the BDJS alliance has helped the national party gain new bases in Kerala.
The Congress-led ruling United Democratic Front and the CPM-led Left Democratic Front have been severely critical of Natesan over his political foray. The CPM, while dismissing BDJS’ possibilities, will be cautious since the Ezhavas have traditionally been a Left vote base.
BDJS leaders say that the party is eyeing victory in SNDP strongholds in Alappuzha district (the party is contesting in Kayamkulam, Kuttanad, Aroor and Cherthala) and hopes to emerge as a decisive force in Kollam district and Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram.
“To contest in 37 seats is a big start for a new party. Irrespective of the results, it looks like the BDJS has arrived. Its future will depend on how it stabilises itself as a dependable ally,” Roshan Sathyan, a Kollam-based banker, said.