Thushar Vellappally, president of the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in Kerala, met with the general secretary of the Nair Service Society (NSS) G Sukumaran Nair in Perunna of Changanassery on Friday, March 8. Thushar said it wasn’t a political meeting and he was there to take the blessings of Sukumaran Nair.
The NSS and the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) are two major caste organisations in Kerala, and Thushar is the son of the SNDP general secretary Vellappally Natesan. According to reports, Thushar is likely to be the BDJS candidate in the Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency.
After the meeting, speaking to media persons Thushar said that there was never a question of the BJDS not contesting the Chalakudy seat. "Kottayam, Idukki, Mavelikkara and Chalakudy are the BDJS's seats [allocated by the NDA], and an official declaration of the contestants will be made in a day or two," he said. There are reports that the BJP is considering Padmaja Venugopal, who recently joined the party, as a candidate in Chalakudy Lok Sabha constituency.
About the defection of Padmaja Venugopal from the Congress to the BJP, Thushar said that it is yet to be seen how many followers she will have.
Thushar also spoke about PC George, veteran politician and another recent entrant to the BJP, who had spoken disparagingly against him after he was denied a seat for the upcoming election. According to reports BDJS was not keen on PC George being given a seat as he had made statements ridiculing Vellappally Natesan earlier.
Denying that he gave a complaint against George to the central leadership, Thushar had said, "All of you know his character, the way he talks. Whichever front he has been part of, he was always of the same character."
George had criticised both Thushar and his father Vellappally Natesan after his name did not feature in the list of NDA candidates. He had also blamed Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for it. Thushar said that he did not wish to react to these comments. "Why create an issue when he does not get a seat, dragging the SNDP leader and me into it. Is it the Kerala Chief Minister who decides the NDA contestant? I am not going to react to these comments," he said.