In its attempt to secure political space in Kerala, the BJP, which is known to be dominated by the ‘upper’ castes, seems to have gained currency among the ‘backward’ Ezhava caste, the State’s largest Hindu segment. The Ezhavas have for long been the mainstay of the CPI (M).
BJP president Amit Shah’s gameplan of wooing the Ezhavas won itself a strong foothold on Wednesday when Vellappally Natesan, the vociferous general secretary of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, a social organisation that has come to represent the caste, held discussions with him and VHP leader Ashok Singhal in New Delhi.
Emerging from the meeting with Shah, Natesan told the media that he had no qualms about aligning with any party that would take care of the interests of the Ezhavas, as well as the ‘majority community’. The BJP, he said, was no untouchable – enough indication that the SNDP’s sympathies would lie with the BJP during the local body elections slated for October and the Assembly elections next year.
A wealthy businessman, the 77-year-old Natesan has been criticised by his detractors for drastically changing the character of the SNDP – founded in 1903 at the behest of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru for the educational and spiritual uplift of the Ezhavas – to become an influential caste outfit capable of dictating terms to political parties and governments.
Natesan has, over the years, encouraged Ezhavas to assert their caste identity for political bargaining and allegedly suppressed dissent with an iron hand, using his clout to appoint his relatives to key positions. He has been criticized for projecting himself as the sole spokesperson for the Ezhavas.
Natesan has repeatedly failed to launch an Ezhava political party. Over the past few years, he became a votary of Hindu unity and even struck an alliance with the Nair Service Society. However, the ‘Nair-Ezhava bhai - bhai ’ didn’t last long.
It was then that the BJP stepped in, well aware that an electoral victory sans the support of the largest Hindu caste was impossible. It is said that Amit Shah, it is said, has asked the party to make it big in the upcoming elections, by severing the Ezhavas’ links to the CPI (M).
However, it is unlikely that Natesan can ensure a flight of Ezhava votes to the BJP BJP. One, the CPI (M)’s ties with the Ezhavas is deep. Two, Natesan’s influence on the ordinary, poor Ezhava is not very high – he is viewed as one who has benefited from the caste and not the other way round.