By
P. Sreekumaran
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: He came. He saw.
But he failed to conquer. That broadly sums up Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
visit to Kerala, despite the claims by state BJP leaders to the contrary.
The
ostensible purpose of the PM’s Mission Kerala was to inaugurate the Kollam
bypass of the National Highway 66, a project that took more than four decades
to fructify.
But
the real objective was to lift the sagging spirits of the state BJP leaders and
the rank and file owing to the diminishing returns from the Sabarimala
agitation. True, the rally addressed by Modi was well-attended. That is no
surprise given the BJP’s organizational prowess and money power.
But
the reality is different. It is evident that the party will have to go beyond
the Modi magic to secure a firmer foothold in the state, known for its entrenched
secular ethos. And it is a tall ask for the state unit of the BJP, a house
sharply divided against itself.
No
doubt, the Prime Minister made a combative speech, singling out both the
CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-headed United
Democratic Front (UDF) for criticism. He squarely blamed both the fronts for
fuelling corruption and communalism! That critique coming from the leader of a
party wedded to dividing people on communal lines was, to say the least,
amusing.
Not
surprisingly, Modi packed a powerful political punch in his speech. The LDF and
the UDF virtually got it in the neck. In an obvious attempt to help the state
unit of the BJP snap out of its blue mood, the Prime Minister said Tripura will
be repeated in Kerala. A task easier said than done.
Understandably,
Modi’s main focus was on the Sabarimala issue roiling the state. The state
government’s stand on the issue will go down as one of the most shameful
behaviors by any party or government, Modi said. “We know that the communists
do not respect Indian history, culture and spirituality but nobody imagined
they would have such hatred,” thundered Modi.
It
was a determined and desperate attempt on the part of the Prime Minister to end
the decades-long bipolar political order in the state. But the task is nothing
but daunting. The reason is simple: Kerala is not Tripura. The secular ethos is
embedded too deeply in the Keralites’ psyche to be uprooted by a slew of
speeches from the Prime Minister downwards.
A
closer look at Modi’s speech will reveal that it was an address bristling with
contradictions. As the LDF and UDF leaders rightly claimed, the speech was
tantamount to contempt of the apex court. The thrust of CPI(M)’s criticism was
that Modi was abdicating his responsibility to the Constitution by blasting the
state for its attempt to implement the Supreme Court’s order allowing women of
all ages to worship at Sabarimala. He was speaking more like an RSS pracharak
than as the Prime Minister of the country, lambasted the CPI(M) statement.
The
Prime Minister’s contention that BJP is the only party which has taken a
consistent stand on the Sabarimala issue rests on a weak wicket. Modi
conveniently forgot that both the BJP and the RSS had initially welcomed the SC
verdict. They shifted gear only after sensing that the Sabarimala issue gave
them a golden opportunity to expand the saffron camp’s base in the state.
But
Modi and other BJP leaders must confront the ground reality, however
unpalatable it may be. And the reality is that the Sabarimala agitation has
lost steam. No amount of effort on the BJP-RSS part would revive it. In fact,
the Hindutva forces are struggling to sustain the momentum of the agitation.
The writing on the wall is clear. The most visible manifestation of the BJP-RSS
plight came from declining numbers at the venue of the Sabarimala agitation in
front of the secretariat in the state capital. Will they learn appropriate
lessons and mend their ways? Or will they continue to behave like the Bourbons
of Europe, who learned nothing? (IPA
Service)
The post It’s BJP Which Is Holding Kerala To Ransom appeared first on Newspack by India Press Agency.
