New Delhi: In a major surprise, Congress leader Tom Vadakkan, on Thursday joined the BJP, and attacked his former party’s stand on the Pulwama terror attack and India’s retaliatory strikes.
Immediately after joining, Vadakkan said he was “hurt” at the situation within the Congress where it was not clear that who was the power centre.
He also said the Congress’ reaction to attacks carried out by Pakistan-based terrorists was sad, while asserting that he believed in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development narrative.
Vadakkan’s defection to the BJP is only of symbolic value to the saffron party since he isn’t known to have a support base in his home state of Kerala.
A post-graduate in English literature, Vadakkan was essentially involved in media management for the Congress in the national capital.
He was first seen in party circles from Sitaram Kesri’s time in the late 1990s. However, he only managed to gain a foothold in the party when Sonia Gandhi replaced Kesri in 1998 as Congress president. Thanks to his proximity to Vincent George, the once powerful private secretary to Gandhi and a fellow Keralite, he got access to 10, Janpath. Vadakkan later was a part of a Congress publication, and was George’s eyes and ears at the party office on 24, Akbar Road. He was then appointed AICC communication department secretary, a post he held for over a decade, until he was removed in 2015.
His involvement in media management gave him the opportunity to he grow close to several senior Congress leaders, and also frequent 10, Janpath. Sonia Gandhi knew him well as a party functionary, but he was never a close aide. This familiarity though didn’t help his repeated attempts to get a party ticket from Kerala.
With Rahul Gandhi’s growing involvement in party affairs, Vadakkan’s political career began slumping. As Rahul brought his own team, Vadakkan was sidelined. He made party spokesperson in 2015. Technically, it was an elevation for a communications department secretary, but, in effect, meant he was no longer involved in day-to-day party affairs or its media management. Vadakkan did make appearances on TV channels, during which he would berate the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But the Congress spokesman was waiting for his rehabilitation, which eventually came from the BJP.
(With PTI inputs)
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