Alappuzha (Kerala), Oct 16 Kerala's powerful Hindu Ezhava leader and SNDP Yogam General Secretary, Vellappally Natesan, on Thursday slammed state Transport Minister K. B. Ganesh Kumar, a close aide of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Natesan accused the minister of arrogance and betrayal. "Ganesh Kumar is a man consumed by arrogance. He has disgraced his family, is worse than a feudal lord, and even betrayed his own father. He gained his ministerial position through Saritha (the solar scam accused)," he said, sparking a storm in political circles.
Responding to Natesan’s personal barb, a miffed Ganesh Kumar said that "everyone responds according to their culture".
"I will not stoop to his level. His language reflects his culture, not mine," he added.
Natesan, known for his razor-sharp tongue and also for his shifting political opinions, does not mince words when launching attacks on political leaders.
However, his attack on the minister came soon after he was spotted in the car of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan when the two came to attend the Global Ayyappa Sangamam held at Pamba last month.
Natesan is also known for extending lavish praises, when he then said Vijayan will extend his winning streak to a third term.
Natesan's attack on actor-turned-politician Ganesh Kumar is seen by many as meant for the political facilitation of his son Tushar Vellapally, the supremo of BDJS, the second-biggest constituent of the BJP-led NDA.
His son’s party has not been able to take off, and the father's attempts to get a Rajya Sabha nomination for Tushar Vellapally and, through that, a Union Minister of State's post have also not fructified.
Now, with the Congress-led UDF convenor and Lok Sabha member Adoor Prakash extending an olive branch to Tushar Vellapally to join the UDF, Natesan’s barb against Ganesh Kumar is being seen seriously by many.
Ganesh Kumar belongs to the Hindu Nair community, and there has been a cold war between the Nair and Ezhava communities for a long time.
Ganesh Kumar is understood to have built a bridge between the Nair Service Society general secretary and Vijayan ahead of the last month held Ayyappa Sangamam.
But things went for a toss with the news of the Sabarimala gold plating scam, and Natesan took pot shots at the rampant corruption in the running of the Sabarimala temple and demanded a revamp.
For a while now, the Board has been headed by the Nair community members, and Ganesh Kumar’s role in getting the NSS representative to the Ayyappa Sangamam appears to have given him a boost.
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