The Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had been remaining headless since November, seems to be flummoxed by the groundswell of support for the agitations headed by the rival fronts against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the State.
The BJP State leadership seems to be at a loss in defending the Centre’s decision to legislate the Act. But for feeble voices raised by individual leaders, the party State unit failed to come up with a collective response to the protests.
Following the resignation of P.S. Sreedharan Pillai to take over as the Governor of Mizoram, the State unit has been headless since November. Since organisational elections are progressing, the post may be filled only by mid-January.
The lack of collective leadership to take on the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front that had jointly and separately charted out a course of agitation against the Act, has disappointed party leaders and activists.
Rival fronts score
More than the UDF, the LDF has gained mileage from the issue and has been spearheading the agitations. The front has worked out an agitation plan culminating in a human chain lining the north and south of Kerala on January 26.
The BJP and the National Democratic Alliance allies have not yet succeeded in explaining the finer details of the Act and its impact on different sections of society.
Futile attempts
Party sources told The Hindu that no serious discussion had been held within the organisation to stave off attack from different quarters. Stray efforts of some leaders to explain that the Act would not have any impact on the minority communities in the State.
The rival fronts, especially the LDF, has succeeded in running a campaign against the BJP and projecting it as an anti-minority party. The failure of the BJP in taking up the issue in full scale for want of a collective leadership is likely to prove dear in due course, the sources said.
