Padmaja Venugopal, the daughter of late Congress veteran and former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on Thursday. The former Congress leader’s decision to join the BJP came ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
Earlier in the day, Venugopal’s brother and Congress MP K Muraleedharan said that her decision was a betrayal and would not benefit the BJP even an ounce. He said that Karunakaran had never compromised with communalism and for a member of his family to join the BJP was a sad outcome as far as people with a secular mindset were concerned.
ALSO READ: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Focus on jobs, gig workers, legal guarantee for MSP in Congress’ draft manifesto
“It is an unfortunate decision. Padmaja has taken this decision at a time when the Congress in Kerala is making all efforts to win all 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Congress party has always given her high importance. The BJP will gain no advantage by taking Padmaja into the party,” Muraleedharan was quoted by ANI as saying.
Muraleedharan further said that Padmaja was thrice given the party ticket to contest polls in Kerala and each time she had lost. “So, the claims that others in the party were behind her defeat were not acceptable as there are many who have tried to do that to me. I have not complained about it because it is the people who decide who should win or not,” he was quoted by PTI as saying.
Meanwhile, Congress MP in Rajya Sabha Jebi Mather said that Padmaja was a member of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee of the party and was well respected and honoured within the political organisation.
Mather also said that election outcomes or victory were not governed by who leaves the party. “The problems people face and how it affects them is what influences their votes,” she said.
CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan also commented that the recent exit of members from the grand old party, including Anil Antony, the son of Congress stalwart and former Union Minister AK Antony, and their entry into the BJP would not help the saffron party win even a single seat in Kerala.
Kerala sends 20 members to the Lok Sabha. The elections for 543 seats in the Lok Sabha will takes place this year.
(With inputs from agencies)
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More
Less
Published: 07 Mar 2024, 06:43 PM IST