BJP's southern push: C R Kesavan, great-grandson of freedom fighter C Rajagopalachari, joins saffron party

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, April 8

The BJP’s aggressive southern push continued on Saturday with the great-grandson of the legendary freedom fighter and Congressman C Rajagopalachari, CR Kesavan, joining the saffron party today.

Kesavan had resigned from the Congress on February 23 this year after being associated with the party for 20 years.

“I am truly sad to say that for a while now, I have not seen any vestiges of the values that made me work for the Congress for over two decades. I can no longer in good conscience to say that I concur with what the party presently symbolises, stands for it seeks to propagate. That is why I had recently declined an organisational responsibulity at the national level and also refrained from participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. It is time for me to chart a new path,” Kesavan had said.

Today as he formally joined the BJP, marking the third back-to-back high-profile joining of former Congress leaders from southern India (former Defence Minister AK Antony’s son Anil and former Andhra CM Kiran Reddy), to the saffron fold, Kesavan said, “I am joining the BJP on account of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s transformative leadership and particularly his calm and effective response to Covid when the whole world was grappling with the crisis. I have chosen the BJP like any other young right-minded person who wants to be part of nation-building. I have chosen motherland over family-driven politics.”

Kesavan recalled his great-grandfather Rajagopalachari, the last Governor-General of India who formed the Swatantra Party at the age of 81. “I am much younger to realise where the right side lies. My great-grandfather penned translations of epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. There are two special characters in these epics—Karana of the Mahabharata who continued to be on the wrong side and Vibhishana of the Ramayana who chose the side of Dharma and stood with Lord Rama. I am Vibhishana,” Kesavan said.

He didn’t attack the Congress today and sufficed to say that he wants to be part of the BJP vision of building a developed India by 2047.

Kesavan joined the BJP on the day when PM Modi began his tour to Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

The joining is part of BJP’s preparation for 2024 Lok Sabha polls when it would likely field all new joiners as potential candidates.

The BJP has no Lok Sabha MP from Kerala and Tamil Nadu and only four from Telangana. Karnataka is the only southern state where the BJP has a solid base with 25 of 28 LS seats.

“The BJP will emerge as a major force in Tamil Nadu and Kerala both,” said Kesavan refraining to comment on whether he would contest the next General Election.

“I am a loyal party soldier and will do as asked,” Kesavan said.

He joined in the presence of Union Minister Gen VK Singh and BJP media chief Anil Baluni.