Interview | CPI(M) vote bases, Congress ‘collapsed’ as a result of caving in to radical elements: Javadekar

April 12 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar believes that the traditionally strong support bases of the opposition Congress and the governing CPI(M) in Kerala have “completely collapsed” as a result of these parties’ “worst kind of appeasement politics” aimed at accommodating radical groups in the state.

Javadekar, the BJP’s Kerala in-charge, said in an interview with PTI that the LDF led by the CPI(M) and the UDF led by the Congress were contesting the election on the basis of the agenda of extreme groups alone, putting more emphasis on problems like Palestine and CAA than on development.

He said that as a result, the other segments of society, who are seen as the core of the Left party and the Congress, are “very much angry” with them.

“The Kerala election campaign has moved into a very interesting phase. This is my statement since a lot of the older formulae are breaking. Previously, Ezhavas and other Hindus supported the CPI(M), while Muslims and Christians supported the UDF. However, it has totally crumbled,” said Javadekar.

According to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development plan is the only platform on which the BJP is running the elections.

“Neither the Congress-led UDF nor the CPI(M)-led LDF are discussing India’s progress. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is their main concern. They’re talking about Palestine. Secularism nowadays is about respecting all faiths, or Sarv Dharma Sama Bhavana. However, they are preaching instead, and their goal is only to please radical groups in a competitive manner, the man said.

In order to strengthen the party’s campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, Javadekar has been camping in Kerala for the last several months. He said that a significant portion of Kerala society supported the ban the BJP-led NDA government placed on the Islamist organization Popular Front of India (PFI).

And now that the political wing of the PFI, the SDPI, has backed the establishment party in the Lok Sabha elections, the Christians are furious with the Congress. “And they are coming with Narendra Modi-ji,” he claimed.

“The CPI(M) has initiated the worst kind of appeasement of extreme forces like PFI, and for that the Ezhava community is furious. Their whole objective is the agenda of those radical forces. What subject are they discussing? “They are not discussing Kerala’s development,” said Javadekar.

The former union minister went on to say that Christians are really being prompted to break from the governing party by the CPI(M)’s competitive accommodation of extreme groups.

Additionally, Javadekar said that the Ezhava community and other groups that had previously supported the CPI(M) are now thinking about supporting the BJP since Modi has benefited them.

The previous Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting attacked the positions of the CPI(M) and the Congress regarding the screening of the contentious film “The Kerala Story” produced by different Christian organizations in the region. According to the minister, these parties were interfering with the right of individuals to privacy and were once more only providing “lip service” to extremist factions.

“The Kerala Story,” helmed by Sudipto Sen and released in theaters last year, narrates the tale of a group of Keralan women who were coerced into becoming Muslims and joining the terrorist organization ISIS.

Javadekar went on to say that the Modi government’s actions, such as outlawing PFI, combating terrorism, denouncing the first assault by Hamas terrorists on Israeli residents, and denouncing terror attacks in Russia, have been well received by all segments of Kerala, including the Christian community.

The Christian community is becoming more BJP-friendly, according to the former union minister, and they would support the party because “they know that Rahul Gandhi is not going to become the prime minister and the Congress has no future.”

When asked about the violence in Manipur and the worries of the Christian community, Javadekar said that it was a war between the two tribal groups, the Kukkis and the Meitis, rather than between Hindus and Christians.

He said that the CPI(M) and the Congress were “unleashing a misinformation campaign” in Kerala about it.

While the LDF and the UDF choose their cadres, supporters, and favorites for benefit distribution, Javadekar said, “Modiji doesn’t discriminate,” listing the advantages provided to citizens by the BJP administration.

He said that because of the development projects the Modi administration has carried out in the state, such as the installation of Vande Bharat trains and the quick construction of National Highways, all segments of Kerala society, including Muslims and Christians, are pleased with the government.

In his correspondence with the families of expatriates, he said that Indians residing overseas are overjoyed that PM Modi’s diplomacy has elevated India’s standing in international affairs.

He also mentioned the efforts made by the Modi administration to free students, nurses, and priests who were stuck in war zones like Yemen, Iraq, and Ukraine.

“Therefore, this part of the election is interesting. On June 4 (the day the ballots are tabulated), people will really comprehend the effect we are making,” he said.