Former BJP Leader K A Bahuleyan Joins CPM, Citing ‘Shame’ of BJP Affiliation
Thiruvananthapuram: In a significant political development, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Council member K A Bahuleyan officially joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPM]. The announcement was made following a meeting with CPM leader M V Govindan at the AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.
Bahuleyan stated that his decision to leave the BJP was a direct protest against the party’s move to assign the Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti celebration solely to the OBC Morcha. Addressing the media after his meeting with Govindan, Bahuleyan expressed profound discomfort with his former affiliation. “It was shameful to identify myself as a BJP member in public, and it was unbearable. One would only understand this through experience,” he remarked.
He further accused the BJP of attempting to demean Sree Narayana Guru and exploit his revered status for communal purposes by portraying him as merely a Hindu saint. Bahuleyan emphasized that personal positions or political statuses were not his primary concern, asserting that the true essence of Guru Devan’s philosophy could only be upheld and propagated through the Communist Party.
The timing of Bahuleyan’s defection is noteworthy, as his public announcement to join the CPM occurred simultaneously with State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar hosting a reception at Mararji Bhavan for new members defecting from other parties, held on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. Before his transition, Bahuleyan was a recognized National Committee member of the BJP and had previously served as the Assistant Secretary of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam. His move to the CPM was preceded by meetings on Wednesday morning with V Joy, the CPM Thiruvananthapuram District Secretary, and Minister V Sivankutty.
This defection marks a notable shift in the political landscape of Kerala, particularly as a prominent figure from a national party chooses to align with a state-level communist party, citing ideological differences and concerns over the handling of a revered social reformer’s legacy.