Former ISRO Chief Madhavan Nair Joins Kerala BJP, Welcomed by Amit Shah

Thiruvananthapuram: Former ISRO chief Madhavan Nair and former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) chief G Raman Nair were among five people inducted into the BJP in Kerala on Saturday.

According to ANI, Madhavan Nair, Raman Nair, former member of the state women’s commission J Prameela Devi, Janata Dal (S) former district vice president Karakulam Divakaran and Thomas John of the Malankara Church received party membership in the presence of BJP chief Amit Shah.

Madhavan Nair, who headed ISRO from 2003 to 2009 and oversaw India’s first mission to the moon, Chandrayan 1, has been accused in the Antrix-Devas deal case.

Nair was among those chargesheeted in August 2016 for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 578 crore to the exchequer. The deal was inked between private multimedia company Devas and Antrix, the commercial arm of ISRO. Nair and others have been accused by the CBI of hatching a criminal conspiracy with an intent to cause undue gains to themselves or others by abusing their official positions and causing loss to Antrix Corporation and ISRO.

The News Minute quoted Madhavan Nair as saying that he is interested in PM Narendra Modi’s philosophy. "I have been working for the BJP for quite some time now but yesterday, Amit Shahji formally inducted me to the party. I am interested in Modiji's philosophy of developing India. That's why I want to work with BJP.”

A report in Times of India quoted the former ISRO chief as saying that he would provide help “in a technical capacity to further Modi’s nation building agenda. Beyond that, I don’t think I have anything in mind.”

The induction of former TDB president G Raman Nair, who jumped ship from the Congress, is also significant given Amit Shah’s rousing speech in Kannur on Saturday, where he said the party was standing with Lord Ayyappa devotees “like a rock”.

Shah had alleged an "emergency-like" in Kerala and said the state government was "playing with fire" in quelling with "brutal force" protests by Ayyappa devotees over the Sabarimala temple issue.

The state had witnessed massive protests from devotees at various places, including Sabarimala, Nilakkal and Pamba, against permitting women of all ages to enter the shrine when it was opened for monthly poojas from October 17-22.

(With agency inputs)