‘Muslims used to be bound by LDF, UDF narratives, now there’s change’: Muraleedharan
BJP leader V Muraleedharan, who has been fielded from is pitted Attingal, is pitted against sitting MP Adoor Prakash of the Congress V Joy of CPI (M)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan, who is contesting from the Attingal Lok Sabha seat in Thiruvananthapuram district, said there was a public sentiment against Kerala’s ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government over corruption that would benefit the BJP in Attingal and elsewhere in the state, rather than the Congress-led United Democratic Front as happened in the past. HT caught up with Muraleedharan during his campaign and spoke about his campaign, the BJP’s weaknesses in Kerala and its stand on issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act. Edited excerpts:
The BJP came third in the Attingal Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 and registered a significant increase in its vote share. What makes you confident of a BJP victory this time?
We are getting a favourable response from the voters throughout the campaign. In Lok Sabha elections in Kerala, national factors are as important as local factors. The Attingal constituency spreads from coastal areas to hilly areas; there are sectors like farming and traditional industries. There are a lot of possibilities for development in these areas which have not been fulfilled over the years. Also, there is massive public sentiment against the state government due to corruption and frequent attacks perpetrated by youth wings of the CPI(M). In the past, such sentiments worked in favour of the UDF. But this time, no one believes that Congress will come to power at the Centre. So the BJP in Attingal and across the state will be a beneficiary of such anti-LDF sentiments.
Does being the MoS for external affairs and parliamentary affairs strengthen your chances as a candidate?
Yes, certainly. My role is also there as part of the Narendra Modi government which worked for the progress of Kerala as well as other states. I had a direct role in several rescue missions and evacuation exercises, which has cast a positive feeling (in this campaign).
The LDF and UDF have extensively campaigned by raising issues such as the CAA and Manipur violence. Won’t such issues work against the BJP?
I don’t think they are such big issues. I have noticed in my campaign this time that there is a big change within the Muslim community. I don’t know to what extent it will translate into votes. Muslims used to be bound by the narratives of the LDF and UDF. But now, they have begun to take an independent view. Our government projects have never discriminated based on religion, be it housing, gas connections, drinking water or roads. LDF and UDF may spread canards that the Modi government discriminates on the basis of religion, but the minorities don’t believe it. The triple talaq law has come as a huge blessing for Muslim women and they feel more empowered. So the earlier misunderstandings about the BJP have changed to a large extent. Communities like Muslims cannot be kept away from the mainstream and be treated as captive vote-banks anymore.
The BJP is seen as organisationally weak in Kerala, compared to parties such as CPI(M) and Congress. That’s one of the factors attributed to your party’s low strike rate in elections. Have there been efforts to improve?
Kerala cannot be compared to a state such as Gujarat where the BJP has been in power for decades and has MLAs and MPs. But if you compare it to a state like Tamil Nadu, our organisational system is much better. Even though the party has had MLAs and MPs in Tamil Nadu, there is no uniform organisational set-up. We have such a set-up in Kerala. Yes, in some booths here, there may be inexperienced party workers, but there are efforts to improve it.
Who do you see as your chief rival in Attingal, LDF or UDF?
For me, both are equal. There is no chief rival here. Individually, both candidates are experienced so I consider them equal.
Both CPM and Congress in Kerala are part of larger coalitions where they have allies whereas the BJP still doesn’t have any major allies in the state. Why has the party not been able to attract good allies?
Other parties will come into our (NDA) fold when they realise that the BJP is winning. They have not come yet because that feeling is not there. This dilemma exists for all parties in states where they are a third alternative. The situation will change when the BJP can break that idea. For example, the BJP has grown in Odisha and Karnataka. In both states, the BJP was in third position earlier. But now, in Karnataka, through issue-based support and organisational growth, BJP is at number one or two. The JDS has fallen to third. In Odisha, the fight today is between BJD and BJP and Congress is irrelevant. It’s a long process. We have presented familiar candidates this time in Kerala and over time, it will change.