In a jolt to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State unit, filmmaker Ali Akbar has said that he has resigned from the all positions in the party. Announcing this in his Facebook post, Mr. Akbar, a member of the BJP State committee, said he abdicated all his responsibilities in the party as he was upset over some recent incidents. However, he would carry on without any political affiliations, he clarified.
Mr, Akbar, who is active on social media and takes part on behalf of the BJP in TV channel debates, said in another post that he had not messed with anyone. His resignation came when the BJP State unit is facing rebellion in the wake of the revamp in the organisation at the State and national levels.
In his Facebook post, Mr. Akbar said that the common man might not understand how a person belonging to the Muslim community in the BJP had to face the humiliation from the community and his own family. But the political leadership must understand it. It was about the Muslims who had got the Sangh Parivar tag several years ago, he said.
Mr. Akbar had unsuccessfully contested on the BJP ticket from the Koduvally Assembly segment in Kozhikode district in 2016. He was working on a film - Puzha Muthal Puzha Vare - based on the 1921 Malabar riots. Previously, he had contested from the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency as an the Aam Aadmi Party candidate in 2014 polls.
The reshuffle of the State unit had ruffled the feathers of several senior leaders, including vice president Sobha Surendran and general secretary M.T. Ramesh, who took to social media to share their reactions with a fair degree of barbed joke at the leadership.
Ms. Surendran was dropped from the national executive committee while another leader P.K. Krishnadas was made only a special invitee to the forum.
The State unit of BJP with two powerful factions is led by Union Minister of State V. Muraleedharan and Mr. Krishnadas. The recent revamp saw the Murleedharan faction gaining an upper hand in the party with the efforts of his protege and State president K. Surendran.
Mr. Ramesh is perceived to be a trusted lieutenant of Mr. Krishnadas while Ms. Surendran belongs to neither of the factions.
