Late K Karunakaran's Daughter Padmaja Venugopal Joins BJP

New Delhi: Congress stalwart and former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran”s daughter Padmaja Venugopal left the grand old party and joined the BJP here. Padmaja Venugopal received the BJP membership in a ceremony held at the party headquarters. Padmaja accepted BJP membership from senior leader and in-charge of Kerala affairs Prakash Javadekar. Padmaja is also the sister of K Muraleedharan, one the tallest Congress leaders in the state.

After the sister’s headline grabbing move, Muraleedhan reacted harshly to the decision.

“Father (K Karunakaran)’s soul will not forgive Padmaja and, more sisterly love from now onwards. There is no property dispute between us. Because, my father didn”t earn that much. I will not agree to have gangs at Karunakaran”s final resting place,” he said while quipping that if Padmaja contests in Chalakudy, NOTA will get more votes.

“I have been calling Padmaja on phone since yesterday morning. She did not pick up my phone and was talking to everyone else. I had doubts then. Padmaja has done something that should never be done when the party is on a war front. Karunakaran”s daughter should not do this. Padmaja has always been given priority by the Congress,” he added.

Regarding her allegations that some people in the party had backstabbed her during elections, Muraleedharan said people won”t lose only because of that. “If we are completely subservient to the people, we will not be trampled. Even when I left the Congress, I never joined the BJP. Saying that the BJP has got someone from Karunakaran”s family will cause trouble for common people. Taking Padmaja won”t do the BJP a penny. I was never told (by Padmaja) in any conversation that she would go to BJP,” he said.

After joining BJP, Padmaja said that her decision to go along with the saffron party is unconditional. “No Rajya Sabha seat has been demanded. There is no thought of contesting any elections. In the past, (Congress) gave me seats to contest in the elections when there was a Left wave,” she said.

Padmaja has, according to reports, told her close friends that the reason behind the decision is that the Congress party leadership has continuously ignored her concerns.

Former Congress leader from Kerala, Smt. Padmaja Venugopal joins BJP at party headquarters in New Delhi.#JoinBJP pic.twitter.com/mG0X9soaDt

— BJP (@BJP4India) March 7, 2024

Malayala Manorama reported that, the problems started when the district leaders stopped Padmaja from getting into Priyanka Gandhi’s vehicle during the last assembly election campaign rally in Thrissur. Padmaja contested in the Thrissur constituency in the last two Assembly elections but did not win. In 2004, Padmaja contested from Mukundapuram (Chalakkudi after delimitation) Lok Sabha constituency, but lost to Lonappan Nambadan.

Padmaja, before leaving Congress, was one of the General Secretaries of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee.

This is the second instance in the last one year in which an offspring of a former Congress Chief Minister joining the BJP – the first instance being Anil K Antony, son of senior Congress leader AK Antony. BJP has nominated Mr Anil, party’s national secretary and spokesperson, as its candidate for Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency for the upcoming elections.