The internal differences in Kerala unit of the BJP seem to be intensifying. The official wing of the party in the state has approached the central leadership with a complaint against state party vice-president Sobha Surendran, who is at loggerheads with the party state leadership.

In the complaint, the BJP leaders have brought to the notice of the party central leadership the public statements Sobha made indirectly against Union Minister V Muralidharan and party state president K Surendran. Such statements are creating disgrace to the party among the general public, it has been pointed out in the complaint.

Kerala BJP General Secretary P Sudheer had the other day warned Sobha Surendran of grave consequences if she continued to make statements against the party leaders and that she should air her grievances at the party forums. Responding to this, Sobha asked who is this Sudheer and she didn’t know any Sudheer.

The BJP state official wing has approached the central leadership with the complaint against Sobha Surendran, who is considered as a firebrand leader of the party in Kerala, at a time when the party’s Kerala in-charge Prakash Javedakar and organising secretary K Subhash are holding talks with Sobha to bring her on board.

Following the official wing’s complaint to the central leadership, the other wing, who supports Sobha, has decided to file a complaint against the leaders of the official wing of the BJP in the state. They are reportedly seeking enquiry into party state president K Surendran’s relationship with Kodakara money heist case accused Dharmarajan.

They also demanded the sources of income and account details of many leaders in the official wing. The financial position of many of the leaders in the official group has grown quickly and that the assets of these leaders have increased sharply after the last Lok Sabha polls, the complaint reportedly states.

Sobha Surendran alleged that she is being kept out of the party by the state leadership. In an interview given recently to a Malayalam news channel Sobha Surendran has said that she faced disgrace from the party state leadership and that she was performing her duties in the party, shedding tears within her. In the interview, Sobha said that she is being ignored, ill treated and sidelined by the party state leadership.

A large number of party workers and sympathisers do not approve of the treatment being meted out to Sobha Surendran by the party state leadership. They feel that the party is not making use of her potential to connect with people, to take up the issues related to the people and to make inroads for the party in new areas.

Political analysts state that if the issues raised by Sobha Surendran is not settled amicably before the coming Lok Sabha polls, it will adversely affect the prospects of the BJP in the state, as many BJP workers and sympathisers feel that Sobha Surendran, who toiled for the party for around 25 years, is not getting due consideration in the party.

Opposition leader VD Satheesan recently said that understanding between the CPI-M and the BJP was behind the silence of the central agencies on the serious allegations levelled against the Chief Minister by gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh.

VD Satheesan also said that the Pinarayi Vijayan government, which had taken case against KPCC president K Sudhakaran in connection with a case related to the fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, had exempted BJP state president K Surendran, who should have been arraigned as an accused in the Kodakara money heist case.

The state police, while trying to arrest Sudhakaran, are not going ahead with the case against Surendran, who is an accused in the Manjeswaram election bribery case. The Left government is protecting Surendran in order to save Pinarayi Vijayan from the central probe agencies in various cases including SNC Lavlin, Life Mission Housing project cases, Satheesan recently alleged.