Ex-CPI(M) MLA S Rajendran joins BJP
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Former CPI(M) MLA S Rajendran on Sunday joined the BJP after accepting party membership from state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar here.
Rajendran, a veteran leader from Idukki district, represented the Devikulam Assembly constituency from 2006 to 2021.
The induction took place at the BJP state headquarters, where Rajendran was joined by three other leaders, including CPI leader Gurunadan and CPI(M) leader Santhosh from Kuttanad.
Speaking on the occasion, Rajendran said he had not been active in party politics for the past four to five years but had continued working among the public.
He said he had been "living with regret and emotional distress after losing faith in his political space."
"Till the last day, I never betrayed the politics I followed throughout my life. There has never been any allegation that I worked against my party or its committees," he said.
He clarified that the decision to join the BJP was taken after discussions with people close to him.
Rajendran said his decision to meet BJP leaders was linked to issues related to plantations and plantation workers.
He said he was impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand and expressed confidence that issues faced by plantation workers could be resolved under the BJP's governance.
BJP leaders said around 100 people are expected to join the party at an event scheduled to be held in Munnar on February 8.
Addressing the gathering, Chandrasekhar said Rajendran had told him that only the BJP could resolve the state’s problems.
He said issues faced by people in Munnar and Idukki remained unresolved and asserted they would be addressed when the BJP comes to power.
Chandrasekhar thanked the Railway Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allotting three new trains to Kerala.
He said the BJP would campaign in the upcoming elections on development, security and the protection of faith.
"Those who support these causes will be welcomed, irrespective of the party they belong to," he said.
Chandrasekhar alleged that Congress-led governments had been voted out in several states and at the Centre since 2014 and accused the Congress of "supporting corruption and appeasement politics."
He also alleged that CPI(M) state secretary M A Baby and Congress leader Robert Vadra had "spoken in favour of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, and claimed that the Congress-led UDF supports Jamaat-e-Islami in Kerala."
Calling Jamaat-e-Islami "an extremist and anti-secular organisation", Chandrasekhar said it "posed a danger" to the state. He also alleged that the Hindu community had the lowest per capita land and housing ownership.
Referring to Karnataka, he alleged that the Congress came to power by making false promises and claimed there "was corruption and a lack of funds for development" after it assumed office.
"This organisation is destroying Bangladesh and Pakistan and is causing problems in other countries as well. This should be debated," he said.
Meanwhile, senior CPI(M) leader and MLA M M Mani said Rajendran had neither been a party member nor a sympathiser for several years and that his joining the BJP did not matter to the party.
"It is a closed chapter. Whether he goes with the BJP or even the devil does not matter to us. We will take care of our own matters," Mani said.
He said the CPI(M) leadership in Idukki district had not made any attempt to bring Rajendran back when reports of his possible move to the BJP emerged.
"He has not been in the party for several years. We had taken action against him and expelled him. It does not matter to us if he joins any other party," Mani said.
Mani added that even if he himself were to resign, the party would not be affected.
He denied allegations that the party had harmed Rajendran.
"We made him district panchayat president and MLA several times. He and his wife are receiving pensions for life," Mani said.
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Wildfires race across Chile, leaving 15 dead, forcing thousands to flee
Penco (Chile) (AP): Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile on Sunday left at least 15 people dead, scorched thousands of acres of forest and destroyed scores of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heat wave.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the country's central Biobio region and the neighbouring Nuble region, around 500 kilometres south of Santiago, the capital.
The emergency designation allows greater coordination with the military to rein in two dozen wildfires that have so far blazed through 8,500 hectares and prompted 50,000 people to evacuate, according to Chilean Security Minister Luis Cordero.
“All resources are available,” Boric wrote on X.
But local officials reported that for hours on Sunday, destruction was everywhere and help from the federal government was nowhere.
“Dear President Boric, from the bottom of my heart, I have been here for four hours, a community is burning and there is no (government) presence,” said Rodrigo Vera, the mayor of the small coastal town of Penco in the Biobio region. “How can a minister do nothing but call me to tell me that the military is going to arrive at some point?”
Firefighters were struggling to extinguish the flames, but strong winds and scorching weather hampered their efforts Sunday with temperatures topping 38 C (100 F).
Residents said that the fires took them by surprise after midnight, trapping them in their homes.
“Many people didn't evacuate. They stayed in their houses because they thought the fire would stop at the edge of the forest,” said John Guzman, 55, surveying the scene in Penco, where smoke blanketed the sky in an orange haze. “It was completely out of control. No one expected it."
Although the total number of homes burned nationwide remained unclear, one municipality of Concepcion in Biobio reported 253 homes destroyed.
“We fled running, with the kids, in the dark,” said Juan Lagos, 52, also in Penco. The fire engulfed most of the city, burning cars, a school and a church.
Charred bodies were found across fields, homes, along roads and in cars.
“From what we can see, there are people who died ... and we knew them well," said Víctor Burboa, 54. "Everyone here knew them.”
