A day after Sobha Surendran, vice-president and senior BJP leader came out in the open accusing V Muraleedharan, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and K Surendran, president of the Kerala unit of conspiring to finish her political career, P M Velayudhan, senior BJP leader and national executive member too lambasted party leadership for insulting him.
Velayudhan started sobbing while describing the humiliation he is undergoing in the hands of the party leaders. “I joined the party only to serve Bharat Matha and not expecting any position or power in return. After dedicating my entire life for the growth of the party in the State, I feel that I have been dumped in an old age home,” said Velayudhan who was seen sobbing uncontrollably.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Velayudhan, a Dalit leader, compared himself to aged parents dumped to old-age homes by their children who consider them a burden. “Surendran became party president because I voted for him. But he started ignoring me the day he was appointed as party president. Though he comes to my town regularly, he never bothers to call me or even attend my calls,” said Velayudhan who was seen weeping despite the efforts of his aides to console him.
According to party insiders, Kerala BJP is a house divided along caste and communal lines. While Muraleedharan and Surendran represent the powerful Eezhava lobby, leaders like Krishna Das and former Mizoram Governor K Rajasekharan lead the Nair faction in the party. Sobha has said that Muraleedharan, who could not win any election from anywhere in the State, is out to destroy the emergence of new leaders.
“Despite his indifference to party cadre, we stood with him when scams involving Arun Raveendranath, a fraudster from Kottayam and reportedly a close friend of the minister and a woman by name Smitha Menon jolted the party. But both Muraleedhatran and Surendran have their own interests and party workers feel let down,” said a senior BJP leader in Kerala.