‘Atmosphere in Kerala is favourable towards BJP’
NEW DELHI: Minister of state for external affairs and former BJP Kerala president V Muraleedharan speaks to Smriti Kak Ramachandran about the upcoming assembly polls in the state. Edited excerpts:
What is the BJP’s expectation in terms of seats and vote share in the upcoming elections?
The vote share last in 2016 was around 15%; it went up in the Lok Sabha elections and then further up in the local body elections. We are now somewhere around 17%. Generally, in Kerala, the BJP’s vote share used to be the highest in the Lok Sabha followed by the local body and then the assembly. My expectation is that we will be somewhere between 17 and 20%. I have never predicted the number of seats, but the overall atmosphere in the state is favourable towards the BJP. People are disenchanted with both the Communist and the Congress. Our success will depend on the number of winnable candidates that we are able to field.
E Sreedharan is in his 80s. His joining is also being compared to the entry of cricketer S Sreesanth, who did not eventually win the Thiruvananthapuram seat.
There is a difference between Sreesanth and Sreedharan. In Sreesanth’s case, perhaps, we made a mistake because he is basically from Cochin and he wanted to contest the elections in Cochin and suburbs but was fielded from Trivandrum. That place had no connect with him.
The second is people look at Sreesanth as a cricketer, he has a good following too, but Sreedharan has been in public serdepends vice connected with improving living (condition) and issues of livelihood. I’m sure with his experience, we will further progress.
As for age, he is still very agile and dynamic. Age factor did not apply to O Rajgopal also; he was 85 and he contested.
What are the poll planks going to be?
People are fed up with corruption and vote bank politics that is being practised by both the UDF and LDF. Kerala (government) seems to be propagating to the country and to the world that they are the best, but in every respect, this government has failed whether it is response to Covid-19, employment or financial management. We will definitely ensure that there is no vote bank politics, no corruption and there is transparent administration.
What plans does the BJP have to generate employment in the state? There is a large section that has lost jobs because of the pandemic.
The Union government initiated many activities on that front. The skill development ministry has been authorised to initiate efforts to see what kind of employment can be provide to those who came back. The BJP says that if Kerala has to become a society which not just on the money order economy, (then) it should become an income generating society within Kerala. Kerala’s income and finances are mostly dependent on the remittances that come from other states or other countries. Instead of that, we have to convert it into an economy which depends on manufacturing and efforts within the state.
The Congress has raised the Sabarimala issue again. Oommen Chandy wrote a letter to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan last week, asking him to approach the SC to expedite the ruling.
The last time (2019 polls) when Sabarimala happened and made a huge impact, I admit that it helped the Congress because people were so angry against the Left front, they said there should be a sure shot method of defeating them and that was (voting for) the Congress. We will definitely ensure that no such vote bank politics happens now. People voted for the Congress but have understood it is no different. After the polls, they have not made any effort, now just before the elections they again raised the issue. Otherwise, the Congress is not in favour of Sabarimala or the majority community. No strategy can be successful in two elections; last time they could have benefited but I don’t think this time they will.
Do you see the Congress’s resurgence in the state or is it a contest between the BJP and the Left.
It is a serious tri-cornered contest. I won’t say it is completely irrelevant, but the Congress is not on an upswing; they are in a sunset mode.