Thiruvananthapuram, June 11 (BPNS)
Even as the Kerala BJP is struggling to justify the drubbing faced at Thirkkakara by-poll with senior leader and party state vice president, A.N. Radhakrishnan forfeiting his deposit and the party losing 2526 votes when compared to the 2021 assembly elections. The party which created a major buzz in the constituency fielding movie star Suresh Gopi, Union minister V. Muraleedharan and a battery of senior state leaders during the campaign but was unsuccessful.
The state BJP got a golden opportunity after the gold smuggling case accused, Swapna Suresh coming deposing before the magistrate court under Section 164 and speaking to media that the then UAE consul general at the state capital had regularly sent vessels of Biriyani to the Chief Minister’s residence and that these vessels contained heavy metals in an obvious reference to gold being smuggled through the vessels.
Swapna also revealed that a former journalist had approached her stating that he would mediate with the government and that would clear her of all the issues and would help lift her travel ban. She released the audio clip, she had with the former journalist, Shaj Kiran in which the said person was boasting of his close association with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM state secretary, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
While people of the state are expecting intervention by the central agencies as the latest deposition of Swapna Suresh under Section 164 had major revelations. However political analysts are of the opinion that the central agencies are not acting due to the lethargic attitude taken by the central government against Pinarayi Vijayan and Kerala government.
Roy Mathew , senior journalist and political analyst while speaking to BPNS said, ” The central agencies should have acted now. I dont know why there is no movement from the central agencies even after such a major revelation by Swapna Suresh. It seems that the Central BJP is colluding with the state BJP to provide a leway to the CPM and Pinarayi Vijayan expecting that if CPM continues its rule in Kerala, it would be benefecial to the BJP politically at the expense of the Congress, which is a political judgment that is totally off the mark.”
He said that while the BJP is getting a little vote from the 11% Nair community, the party is not able to break the vote bank of another powerful Hindu community, the 26% Ezhava community whose vote bank is totally being casted in favour of the CPM.”
While the central agencies have their own style of operation and functioning, if someone suspects that the reason for the inaction is political, they cannot be wronged.
There is a thought process in the central BJP that if CPM continue to rule the state, it would be a natural end to the Congress in Kerala which can be politically benefecial to the BJP. However just like the results of Thrikkakara by-election and the 2019 loksabha elections, Congress and UDF will continue its existence in Kerala and politically the BJP’s only hope is the withering of the CPM for growth in Kerala.
