Congress leader Tom Vadakkan crosses over to BJP, calls it a question of patriotism

"It is not a question of ideology but of patriotism. If a political party takes such a position that is against the country, then I'm left with no option but to leave the party," Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said while criticising the dynastic culture of the party and praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development narrative.

Vadakkan crossed over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday.

Explaining his decision, ex-AICC secretary and national spokesperson, Vadakkan rued that he felt deeply disappointed when Congress "questioned the integrity of the armed forces" after airstrikes at the terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot.

Longtime Sonia Gandhi loyalist, Vadakkan was close to Vincent George, private secretary of former late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who also brought him to the Congress from journalism. He was part of the first media committee set up by Sonia Gandhi in the late 1990s when she became the party president.

Senior party workers claim that of late, Vadakkan had been feeling neglected and humiliated, especially on account of the new team that took charge of the media after Rahul Gandhi became the party president.

Though Congress sources conceded that Vadakkan's poaching qualifies as a psychological setback, they insisted that it will not harm the party's electoral prospects in any manner as he does not have a political base.

"He is not accepted even in his home state Kerala and is considered an outsider. He does not have a popular vote base and his candidature was vehemently opposed by the Kerala state Congress leaders and cadres in 2004 and 2009 when the central leadership, on his insistence, tried to field him from there," said a Congress leader.

They also claimed that BJP will soon realise its mistake when it will be asked to explain Vadakkan's strong anti-BJP stand that he maintained throughout his political carrier and will not be able to utilise him as a spokesperson.

Some Congress leaders, however, said that Vadakkan can be used by the BJP to embarrass Congress by exploiting his knowledge about Congress' weaknesses. The BJP is also expected to use Vadakkan in Kerala by making him a Lok Sabha candidate.