There are many politicians who detest Vellappally Natesan, but none can ignore him. Mr. Natesan, the general secretary of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, is trying to play the role of a ringmaster in Kerala politics now.
Apart from being the architect of a new party, the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), he has brought several communities together and anchored the formation of a third front in the State. The BDJS, a partner of the National Democratic Alliance, has registered the fastest growth in the political spectrum, Mr. Natesan told The Hindu .
“The party will upset the calculations of many prominent politicians in the Assembly elections in the State. That will be a big achievement,” he says.
How can he go on the electoral campaigning while holding a premier position in the SNDP Yogam, a religious organisation? “I have a political stand. In the past, R. Sankar and C. Kesavan were Congress members while leading the SNDP Yogam,” he reasons.
Winning chances
The BDJS is contesting in 37 constituencies in the Assembly elections. How many seats will it win? “In all the seats, the party will get comfortable support.” If the party fails to win any seat, won’t it be the end of another dream? “Not at all; the party is part of the NDA,” he says.
Mr. Natesan is being accused by the rival United Democratic Front and the Left Democratic Front of having taken the SNDP Yogam to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh fold. He rubbishes the argument. The CPI(M) and the Congress have tied up with communal elements. Won’t such measures amount to taking the respective parties to communal fold, he asks.
There are several cases against Mr. Natesan. How will he face them? Unperturbed, Mr. Natesan says, “The cases will not stand. The allegations were hurled against me when I refused to toe the line of the LDF and the UDF.”
Reacting sharply to the UDF policy on liquor, Mr. Natesan says: “It’s an eyewash. Abstinence, not prohibition, is the right path. Nowhere has prohibition succeeded.”
Does it not mean that the BDJS is on the same side as the CPI(M) in terms of the policy? “Yes, if they are also thinking on the same lines.”
He has been at the centre of controversies on microfinance. How does he see it? “The NSS, the Muslims and the Congress party conduct microfinance operations. No scrutiny is being held into the functioning of them. It is sheer politics behind the allegations,” he rues.
On NSS-SNDP unity, Mr. Natesan feels his stand has been vindicated. Whether the NSS supports it or not, unity among Hindu communities is the need of the hour.
He claims that many among the Nairs support his view. On A.K. Antony’s statement that Kerala will turn into a mental asylum if the BJP is elected to the Assembly, Mr. Natesan replies: “Communalism flourished under the patronage of leaders like Mr. Antony. Alliances with the Muslim League and the Kerala Congress clearly prove the fact.”
