Thiruvananthapuram: ‘Apparently’ piqued over the denial of Chengannur assembly seat, RSS ideologue and BJP training cell co-convener R Balasankar has said the BJP state leadership was ‘working like a mafia’.
In an interview to an online news portal run by a vernacular daily, Balasankar claimed that the distorted outlook of state BJP leadership was the reason for denial of Chengannur assembly seat to him. If the saffron party chooses to go ahead with the current leadership, political victory would elude the party for another 30 years, he said.
Balasankar, purportedly with the consent of BJP central leadership, had been camping at Chengannur for some time now, building and brushing up his connections with community and religious leaders.
Meanwhile, BJP state president K Surendran said he was unaware about Balasankar’s claim that he was promised Chengannur seat. “I didn’t know he was expecting a seat. His other comments and claims don’t deserve any reply,” Surendran said in a cryptic reply when television channels sought his reaction on Balasankar’s claims.
The RSS ideologue has reportedly told some television and online media that he was denied the assembly seat as part of an underhand deal the BJP leaders in the state had struck with CPM.
Balasankar claimed that NSS, SNDP and a Christian church have promised him support in Chengannur, which is also his native town. Balasankar was also quoted as speaking ill of Surendran using helicopter for electioneering. “It’s the same leader who criticized Kerala chief minister for travelling by helicopter is now using a helicopter to travel between two seats he contests from. People in Kerala don't like such extravaganza,” he reportedly said.