Inside BJP's Mission Kerala: '... because Kerala deserves better'
The BJP's central leadership is banking on the reported 36 per cent approval rating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has in Kerala and aims to reach a position where it is a major player in Kerala politics.
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FollowAs the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders gather to brainstorm over the strategies to be deployed in the forthcoming assembly elections this year and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party is slowly but steadily looking to expand its base in Kerala.
The BJP's central leadership is banking on the reported 36 per cent approval rating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has in Kerala and aims to reach a position where it is a major player in Kerala politics.
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BJP's Kerala in-charge, Prakash Javadekar, spoke to Asianet News Network about the preparations for the forthcoming elections and the party's strategy within Kerala.
"There are seven assembly elections being held this year. I am very sure that this year will bring victories from all quarters of the country to BJP," Javadekar said.
"My first impression is that (CPIM-led) LDF and (Congress-led) UDF are playing shadowboxing. LDF government is (all about) smuggling, liquor, lottery, corruption, crime and nepotism. I am very sure that people will realise it much sooner. Modi's approval rating in Kerala is more than 36 per cent. We got 12 per cent votes. We will reach to that optimum where we will be a major player in Kerala politics. Kerala deserves much better. The people of Kerala have been receiving five kilograms of free rice in the last 28 months. I told people, 'this is not Pinarayi (Vijayan) rice, this is Modi rice', and people know it," he said.
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Asked why the people of Kerala have still kept away from the BJP, the former Union minister said: "That is because a misinformation campaign and a very dubious campaign against nationalist forces like BJP was carried out by both the LDF and UDF. Modi's schemes do not differentiate. They (Muslims) are very happy with him. We are reaching everyone."
When asked to clear the air about speculations that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar could contest from Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram and that actor-politician Suresh Gopi may enter the Union Cabinet, Javadekar quipped, "See, Press in a democratic country is free. If there are no speculations, then what spice will they give to people."
Talking about the party gaining a foothold in Kerala, which has traditionally voted either in favour of the Left or the Congress-backed UDF, the senior BJP leader said: "In six-seven constituencies, we have got nearly three lakh plus votes. From Kasargod to Trivandrum, we are concentrating everywhere."
Javadekar also pointed towards a new shift in Kerala's political equations. "Congress is in a mess; it is losing steam. Muslim voters, and in particular the Indian Union Muslim League, there is a new love between CPI-M and the IUML. That is a new shift coming. Let us see how it evolves."
He went on to repose faith in the leadership of Kerala BJP Chief K Surendran, who has been in the midst of poll bribery charges. Dismissing speculations that BJP is going to overhaul its leadership from booth to state level in the state, Javadekkar said: "We have four core committee meetings in the last four months. And I found that there was no major rift and difference of opinions. Surendran will continue and so will the office bearers. We are going to expand at all levels."
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