In politics, timing is everything. Few understand this better than Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The seasoned Congressman put up a skillful display of political manoeuvrings last week, winning the support of his faction-ridden party as well as the opposition and at least temporarily shifting the focus from the allegations against him.
It all began when the chief minister made public the details of a phone conversation with Vellappally Natesan, the general secretary of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, the organisation of the Ezhavas.
During their chat, Natesan requested Chandy to stay away from a function in Kollam where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the statue of former chief minister R Shankar, a prominent leader of the Ezhava community. Natesan told the media he made the request on the basis of intelligence reports that predicted protests from “some quarters”.
But political commentators in Kerala believe that Natesan, who had recently launched a political party with the blessings of the Sangh Parivar, had acted on the directives of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s central leadership. Modi begins a two-day visit to Kerala on Monday, his first to the state after assuming office as prime minister last year.
Taking all by surprise
The chief minister heeded Natesan’s request and the SNDP general secretary felt he could further corner Chandy who is on the defensive following allegations in the bar bribery and solar panel scams.
But by Saturday evening, Chandy dropped a bombshell. A statement from the chief minister’s office said he wanted to participate in the function attended by the prime minister as per protocol and as a gesture of courtesy. “The function was connected to R Shankar, a revered Congress leader, who was a former chief minister and president of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. I decided to stay away as the organisers changed their stance.” The statement also said he had informed the Prime Minister’s Office of the circumstances of his decision.
The disclosure caught Natesan off guard. What worsened things for him was the release of a letter written by Chandy inviting Modi to unveil the statue. The letter said that Chandy had sent the invitation at the instance of Natesan.
As the news broke, political parties rallied behind the chief minister. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala alleged that Chandy was omitted by the BJP central leadership. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President VM Sudheeran said Natesan has become a puppet of the Sangh Parivar.
Scoring brownie points
Even VS Achuthanandan, leader of opposition and a staunch critic of Chandy, voiced support for him. “Vellappally’s demand to chief minister to keep away from the function is a challenge to the people of Kerala,” said the veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader. “The SNDP Yogam president is trying to install the RSS Shankar at the SN College campus.”
CPM politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan demanded that the Centre explain the reason for keeping the chief minister out of the function. “The prime minister who kept out Oommen Chandy is sharing the stage with Vellappally who is laundering money through microfinance scheme,” he wrote on Facebook.
Chandy scored another brownie point when he said he would nevertheless receive the prime minister at Kochi and hold talks with him before he leaves Kerala on Tuesday.
This was additional respite for the chief minister within a week. The first one came on Wednesday after a commission inquiring into the Rs 70 million solar panel scam failed to unearth a sleaze CD. One of the accused in the scam, Biju Radhakrishnan, had claimed that the CD contained evidence to prove that the chief minister and some of his cabinet colleagues had sexual links with his co-accused Saritha Nair.
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It all began when the chief minister made public the details of a phone conversation with Vellappally Natesan, the general secretary of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, the organisation of the Ezhavas.
During their chat, Natesan requested Chandy to stay away from a function in Kollam where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the statue of former chief minister R Shankar, a prominent leader of the Ezhava community. Natesan told the media he made the request on the basis of intelligence reports that predicted protests from “some quarters”.
But political commentators in Kerala believe that Natesan, who had recently launched a political party with the blessings of the Sangh Parivar, had acted on the directives of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s central leadership. Modi begins a two-day visit to Kerala on Monday, his first to the state after assuming office as prime minister last year.
Taking all by surprise
The chief minister heeded Natesan’s request and the SNDP general secretary felt he could further corner Chandy who is on the defensive following allegations in the bar bribery and solar panel scams.
But by Saturday evening, Chandy dropped a bombshell. A statement from the chief minister’s office said he wanted to participate in the function attended by the prime minister as per protocol and as a gesture of courtesy. “The function was connected to R Shankar, a revered Congress leader, who was a former chief minister and president of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. I decided to stay away as the organisers changed their stance.” The statement also said he had informed the Prime Minister’s Office of the circumstances of his decision.
The disclosure caught Natesan off guard. What worsened things for him was the release of a letter written by Chandy inviting Modi to unveil the statue. The letter said that Chandy had sent the invitation at the instance of Natesan.
As the news broke, political parties rallied behind the chief minister. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala alleged that Chandy was omitted by the BJP central leadership. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President VM Sudheeran said Natesan has become a puppet of the Sangh Parivar.
Scoring brownie points
Even VS Achuthanandan, leader of opposition and a staunch critic of Chandy, voiced support for him. “Vellappally’s demand to chief minister to keep away from the function is a challenge to the people of Kerala,” said the veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader. “The SNDP Yogam president is trying to install the RSS Shankar at the SN College campus.”
CPM politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan demanded that the Centre explain the reason for keeping the chief minister out of the function. “The prime minister who kept out Oommen Chandy is sharing the stage with Vellappally who is laundering money through microfinance scheme,” he wrote on Facebook.
Chandy scored another brownie point when he said he would nevertheless receive the prime minister at Kochi and hold talks with him before he leaves Kerala on Tuesday.
This was additional respite for the chief minister within a week. The first one came on Wednesday after a commission inquiring into the Rs 70 million solar panel scam failed to unearth a sleaze CD. One of the accused in the scam, Biju Radhakrishnan, had claimed that the CD contained evidence to prove that the chief minister and some of his cabinet colleagues had sexual links with his co-accused Saritha Nair.