Divisions in NCP Ker unit over offer of support to BJP

The NCP's offer of outside support to the BJP to form government in Maharashtra has caused divisions in the party's Kerala unit, which is a partner in the CPI(M)-led LDF.
While state NCP president Uzhavoor Vijayan and senior leader and MLA A K Saseendran came out openly against the central leadership, another party legislator Thomas Chandy defended the offer of support to the saffron party in Maharashtra.
Vijayan said the state unit would put across its reservations to the central leadership arguing this decision went against the party's avowed stand against "communal forces".
"This is a decision which is totally unacceptable to the NCP workers in Kerala. We have already sent out this message to the party's top leadership," Saseendran told PTI.

"First of all, this involved total breach of organisational norms as a top leader made the announcement without consulting the state units. More important, this is dilution of secular ideology of the party," he said.
Thomas Chandy, MLA from Kuttanad, however, said there was nothing wrong in pledging outside support to the BJP as a measure to check Shiv Sena sharing power.

"Supporting the party which rules the country to check Shiv Sena is cent per cent correct," he said.
CPI(M) stalwart and Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, V S Achuthanandan, also resented the NCP's decision and said a party which took a stand helpful to the BJP would not have a place in the LDF.

A minor partner of the LDF, NCP has two MLAs in the Kerala Assembly.