Acting on its ambition of national expansion, the Aam Aadmi Party has found a new ally in Kerala — Twenty20 party, the CSR wing of garment major KITEX Group. The two parties announced a new political front, People’s Welfare Alliance (PWA).
The announcement was jointly made by AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Twenty20 chief co-ordinator Sabu M Jacob, who is also MD of KITEX, at a mass convention held at Kizhakkambalam near Kochi.
While AAP eyes at making inroads in a state where the BJP has minimal influence, Jacob unleashing a vehement attack on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the Sunday event makes it evident that he is trying to position his party as a rival to the CPM.
Now there will be four political alliances in Kerala – the LDF (Left Democratic Fund), UDF (United Democratic Fund) [Kerala], NDA (National Democratic Alliance), and Kejriwal’s People’s Welfare Alliance.
Jacob’s relation with the Kerala government haven’t been smooth since P V Sreenijan won the last assembly polls from Kunnathunad, which the Twenty20 claimed was its bastion.
Last year, Jacob had said that his conscience did not allow him to “invest a single single rupee” in his home state. The company had pulled out Rs 3,500 crore investment, which it had earmarked in 2020 for setting up a textile park in Kerala and announced plans to invest Rs 1000 crore in Telangana.
The tussle between the corporate and the state government started after a series of inspections by Kerala’s labour and health department at Kitex’s manufacturing unit and premises. The fallout with the government was reportedly linked to Jacob’s entry into politics.
The Twenty20 party is ruling four village panchayats in Ernakulam district. The AAP, on the other hand, contested a few seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Kerala but has yet to make a mark.