Former Kerala CM K. Karunakaran’s Daughter, Padmaja Venugopal, Quits INC and Joins BJP

Padmaja Venugopal, former General Secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), joined the BJP after meeting with leaders in Delhi. She is the daughter of the late Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala, K. Karunakaran.

Padmaja Venugopal joined the Bhartiya Janta Party in the presence of senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar in Delhi. She joined the party without any conditions, However, there is a chance that she might get a ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Who is K. Karunakaran?

Kannoth Karunakaran, born on July 4, 1918, and passed away on December 23, 2010, was a prominent leader of the Indian National Congress (INC). He served as the Chief Minister of Kerala multiple times. He was a key figure in Kerala’s political history; his influence was beyond party boundaries.

Why did Padmaja Venugopal quit Congress?

She earlier stated that she was forced to make her decision by the Congress leadership. In the 2021 Assembly elections, she was defeated by the Congress in Thrissur, and she believes some people within the party worked against her. She complained to the party about it, but no action was taken.

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MP K Muraleedharan Response

K Muraleedharan, brother of Padmaja Venugopal and Congress MP, has commented on Padmaja Venugopal’s decision to join the BJP. He said that ‘Karunakar had never compromised with communalism” and “However, taking Padmaja will not benefit the BJP even an ounce. It will not affect our determination to fight. We will push the BJP to third sport everywhere, including in seated where they hope to win.” He further added that “this betrayal would be answered through the EVMs.”

He also responded to Padmaja’s allegation by saying that “Padmaja was thrice given the party ticket to contest polls in Kerala, and each time she had lost.”

“So claiming that others in the party were behind her defeat was not acceptable, as there are many who have tried to do that to me, but I have not complained about it because it is the people who decide who should win or not.”

He also added that there was a time when he had to leave the party, but even at that time, he did not join the BJP, even though it would have been very easy to do so, as his father was someone who never compromised with communalism.

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