After the recent shuffle in the Modi cabinet, many ministers were promoted and added while many were shown the way out. One of the minister to be included in the cabinet of Union Ministers is Alphons Kannanthanam, given the ministry of tourism.
With his appointment in the cabinet, the alliance in Kerela seem to be in the fishy water and may soon face a breakup. Kannanthanam is the sole representative from Kerala in the council of ministers and as the Lok Sabha elections are nearing, due in 2019 it may be difficult for the NDA government to replace the tourism minister in order to keep its alliances intact in the south.
Since his inclusion in the cabinet the trouble for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in Kerala has increased. As one of its allies is indicating a breakup and another prominent one is indicating joining hands with Congress.
One of the major parties in Kerela, the Bharat Dharma Jana Seana in the past few day have hinted many times that the party might break the alliance with the NDA and join either the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) led Left Democratic Front or the Congress-led United Democratic Front. The Bharat Dharma Jana Seana is a political outfit of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, a social organisation which represents the majority of the Hindu Ezhava community in the state.
On Wednesday, the NDA had organised a protest march in Alappuzha against state transport minister Thomas Chandy, who is charged with corruption cases in land grabs. However, the BDJS chose to avoid the protest and did not join it. Giving another indication of quitting the alliance, the BDJS has also decided not to attend the Janaraksha Yatra in October, which will be held from Kannur in the North to Thiruvananthapuram in the South, to highlight the alleged attacks on Sangh Parivar workers by communist cadres and will be led by BJP state president Kummanam Rajashekharan.
Vellappally Natesan, party leader and general secretary of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam met the Chief Minister of Kerela Pinarayi Vijayan last week and is soon going to hold a meeting with the Congress-led United Democratic Front. These meetings of the BDJS is further giving a hike to the speculations that the party is planning for a break up soon.
Last month the BDJS leader had also commented that “there are Shahs in Kerala who are bigger than Amit Shah, BJP has betrayed us. It hasn’t given us anything.” Natesan’s son and state party president, Thushar Vellappally, also in his statement had said that the party is thinking of forming a new alliance as the BJP has not kept up to its promises and the NDA is not working as a united entity. “The rank and file of my party is miffed as the BJP has failed to honour its promises. We will take a decision to join an appropriate coalition at the right time,” he said.
He further added that BJP party President Amit Shah had betrayed them. The BJP had played tactfully to gain the Hindu votes during the assembly elections in Kerela in 2016. He had made an alliance with the BDJS for BJP’s selfish gains, promising to give its leaders a ministry in Delhi and positions in different government-run corporations, but failed to fulfil any.
The talks of the break-up in the alliance have been going on for some time in Kerela, but the recent development of including Alphons Kannanthanam, an Indian Administrative Service officer turned politician and a member of the Christian community, in the Modi cabinet has triggered the possibility even more.