THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: AP Abdullakutty has taken his third hop to another political party and has now reached the right from the left through the centre. Putting an end to speculations of joining the BJP after his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah, he has formally joined the saffron party by accepting the membership from BJP national working president J P Nadda. Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan was also present.
Abdullakutty, after his formal entry to the BJP, said that he has become a national Muslim and that his prime objective will be to reduce the distance between the BJP and the Muslim community. He was a two-term member of Lok Sabha on a CPM ticket and after coming out of that party, he joined the Congress and represented the party for two terms in the state Assembly from Kannur constituency. It is to be noted that after several attempts, the state BJP got a mainstream politician in Abdullakutty joining the saffron outfit in the state. Another plus point for Abdullakutty is that he is a Muslim and he can connect to the community which he has cleverly pointed out in his first public statement after joining the BJP.
With a thick and dense population of Muslims in the North Malabar districts of Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod, Abdullakutty can try to reduce the distance between the community and the BJP at present.
Immediately after the crushing defeat of the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections, Abdullakutty had put a controversial post on social media stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is following Gandhian ideology and that his development agenda is based on the poorest of the poor.
He cited the example of the government providing toilets to 19.6 crore families and LPG connection to 6 crore families free of cost under the Ujwala scheme. The Congress sought an explanation from Abdullakutty and promptly expelled him from the party citing that his explanation was not satisfactory.
COMMUNITY CONNECT
It is to be noted that after several attempts, the state BJP got a mainstream politician in Abdullakutty joining the saffron outfit in the state. Another plus point for Abdullakutty is that he is a Muslim