Decode Politics: A car ride and the CPM’s uneasy turn — why Kerala’s Left is divided over Ezhava leader Vellappally Natesan

Ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections this year, and weeks after suffering setbacks in the recently concluded local body polls, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) is now facing internal discord over Ezhava leader Vellappally Natesan, who has emerged as a contentious figure in state politics.

Last Friday, the CPI(M) appeared to defend Natesan after the Ezhava leader was again accused of targeting Muslims with his remarks on the Opposition’s Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

With the Assembly elections approaching, and following the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front’s (UDF) strong showings in the recent local body elections, tensions over Natesan could further deepen the rifts within the ruling LDF.

The CPI, the second-largest partner in the LDF, on December 31 openly disapproved of Vijayan “hobnobbing” with Natesan. After Natesan extended his support to the LDF and said Vijayan would return as CM for a third consecutive term, Viswam told the media that Natesan “had not been assigned to give marks for the performance of the LDF regime”.

Referring to how he has kept Natesan at a distance, Viswam said, “I may shake hands with Natesan, but I will never allow him to travel with me in my car.”

Viswam was referring to Vijayan giving Natesan a ride during his journey to Pamba for the Global Ayyappa Devotee Sangamam last September. The sangamam was intended to bolster support among Hindus who had been alienated after the Left backed the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing women to enter the Sabarimala Temple in 2018.

But Vijayan’s links to Natesan soon became the talking point in political circles, particularly after a CPI review found that Natesan’s anti-minority outbursts had contributed to distancing the Muslim vote bank from the LDF in the recent local body elections. The outcome of the local body elections in Kerala saw the UDF making a comeback, winning four out of six corporations, 54 of 86 municipalities, 79 of 152 block panchayats, and 504 out of 941 gram panchayats.

However, Vijayan has stuck to his position on Natesan, saying, “Pinarayi Vijayan is not Binoy Viswam. He may have a different stand. I still think what I did was right.”

A decade ago, when Vijayan was the CPI(M) state secretary, he was a strong critic of Natesan. “(Natesan’s) tongue spits venom against minorities,” he had once said. The CPI(M) had also criticised Natesan for associating with the BJP, labelling the Ezhava leader as “Kerala Togadia”, a reference to former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Pravin Togadia, in 2015.

Over the past year, Natesan has become a vocal figure in Kerala politics, particularly for remarks targeting Muslims. Natesan has been consistently attacking the IUML and has been accused of polarisation. Last April, Natesan said the Muslim-majority Malappuram district had become “another country” and that “Hindus could not breathe freely” there.

Despite Natesan’s controversial remarks, the CPI(M) has tactically adopted a soft approach towards him. After the rout in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which saw Muslims desert the LDF, the CPI(M) has found common ground with Natesan as the ruling party seeks to win back its traditional Hindu vote back, especially the Ezhava community that the BJP is also trying to bring towards it.

While Natesan beats the drum for the CPI(M), the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) that is led by his son Thushar is an ally of the BJP-led NDA in Kerala.

Natesan founded the party a decade ago following a statewide tour that whipped up Hindutva sentiments, though he confined himself to the role of a “patron”. While Natesan remained at the helm of the SNDP Yogam, his son headed the BJDS.

However, the father-son duo has often been at odds. During the 2018 Sabarimala agitation, while Natesan headed the Left government’s Navodhana Samrakshana Samithi (Renaissance Protection Forum) that advocated in favour of women and progressive values, Thushar and the BJP were in direct opposition.

After the BDJS failed to make any gains in the recent local body elections, Natesan expressed his disappointment over the party remaining aligned with the BJP. While leaving the decision on its future course of action to the BDJS leadership, Natesan claimed a section of the party wanted to align with the LDF.

Within the NDA, the BJP sees that most of the BDJS’s grassroots-level workers are members of SNDP Yogam, who are traditionally aligned with the Left. This has adversely affected the BJP’s bid to gain a foothold in the Ezhava community with the BJDS’s help.