The Prime Minister, who conducted roadshows in Thrissur and Kochi, plans to conduct a similar one in Thiruvananthapuram.
Modi at the marriage of Suresh Gopi's daughetr. Photo: Supplied
It was a big, fat wedding with political overtones at Guruvayur in Kerala’s Thrissur district.
Draped in off-white traditional attire, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the famed Sree Krishna Temple at Guruvayur, known as the Dwaraka of the South, and offered ghee and lotus buds to the deity, before giving British Columbia-educated Bhagya’s hand in marriage to Sreyas Mohan, in the presence of a galaxy of Mollywood stars, politicians and others.
Bhagya’s proud parents, actor-politician Suresh Gopi and Radhika Nair, looked on as Modi blessed the newlyweds. The prime minister them proceeded to wish 10 other couples who got married at the temple, and gifted them the sacred “Akshatham” from Ayodhya.
Modi’s presence at Bhagya’s wedding once again underscored the BJP central leadership’s view that Gopi, indeed, is the party’s face in Kerala — and that the once action hero is the orgaisation’s best bet to win its first Lok Sabha seat in Kerala — probably Thrissur.
After spending about two hours at Guruvayur, the prime minister left for the Sree Ramaswamy Temple at Thriprayar, some 23 km away. Dedicated to Lord Rama, Thriprayar is one of the four temples devotees visit as part of a special pilgrimage during the Malayalam month of Karkkadakam.
On his return to Kochi in the afternoon, Modi inaugurated a set of infrastructural projects worth ₹4,000 crore and addressed a mammoth meeting of booth-level office-bearers of the BJP from across the state.
Sources in the BJP’s state unit confirmed to South First that Modi would soon be returning to Kerala to take out a roadshow in the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram.
The BJP seems to be drawing up a different plan for Kerala ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, due in a few months. Deviating from its earlier failed strategy of replicating its North Indian poll template in Kerala, it seems to be promoting Brand Modi — instead of the Hindutva staple — to get a foothold in the bipolar political state, which so far has kept the BJP at bay.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing ‘Meenoottu” (feeding the fish), a ritual at the Thriprayar Temple. Modi is the first PM to visit the temple. (X)
The party managed hardly 14.8 percent of votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election despite high-voltage Hindutva propaganda targeting the Pinarayi Vijayan government over allowing women of menstrual age — defined as those between 10 and 50 — into Sabarimala, the forest abode of the celibate god Ayyappa.
The recent developments, including the continuing anti-Christian violence in Manipur, have made the BJP an anathema to the minority communities, which constitute about half of the state’s population.
The middle class in the state is also seriously annoyed over the escalation of prices of petroleum products, apart from the communal polarisation and hatred, often peddled with impunity by the BJP.
But as another general election approaches quickly, Modi has emerged on the Kerala political scene, ratcheting up the morale of the party cadres and reaching out to people across the spectrum.
Instead of overtly pushing the Hindutva agenda as it does in other parts of the country, the BJP is now keen on marketing Brand Modi through roadshows and public events that would cater to the tastes and aspirations of the state’s middle class, comprising mainly upper-caste Hindus and Christians.
After a massive roadshow and addressing a huge women’s convention in Thrissur on 3 January, Modi came to the state’s commercial capital, Kochi, on 16 January to conduct another roadshow.
At Thriprayar, he attempted to convey two messages. The first was to devotees of Lord Ram across the country who were preparing for the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, about his steadfast loyalty to the god.
The second was to the people of Kerala that he wants Gopi to win at least Thrissur.
അതിരാവിലെ ആയിരുന്നുവെങ്കിലും ഗുരുവായൂരിൽ എന്നെ അനുഗ്രഹിക്കാൻ ഒരുപാടുപേർ എത്തിയിരുന്നു. ഈ ഊഷ്മളതയെ ഞാൻ വിലമതിക്കുന്നു; ജനങ്ങൾക്കായി കൂടുതൽ കഠിനാധ്വാനം ചെയ്യാൻ ഇതെന്നെ പ്രേരിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. pic.twitter.com/BYuSfxOqHl
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 17, 2024
The Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency is where the BJP fancies its chances. In his speech at the Kochi meeting, BJP Kerala unit president K Surendran expressed hope that the Modi magic will work this time in Kerala, helping the party win multiple constituencies.
“The public’s response to the prime minister’s address in Thrissur, and their participation in the roadshows, indicates how the political mindset is changing in Kerala,” Surendran exuded hope.
He was also optimistic that the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya would be a milestone in turning the perceptions of a sizable segment of the state’s 56 percent Hindu population in favour of the BJP.
So far, the party has failed to evolve such a political polarisation based on caste and communal perceptions. Besides Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram, the BJP is eyeing Attingal, Pathanamthitta, Kasaragod, and Palakkad Lok Sabha seats.
It hopes to cash in on the support of Christians, who comprise 18 percent of the electorate, and the backward Ezhavas, who account for 23 percent of the population.
The Christian and Ezhava votes, coupled with Modi’s charisma, could put the BJP ahead in the targeted Lok Sabha seats, the party’s leaders seem to believe.
This is an election year and it is important our Karyakartas work hard among the people and elaborate on the development agenda of our Party and highlight our track record in the last decade. pic.twitter.com/hvWxUfksWk
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 17, 2024
In his Kochi address, Modi attempted to boost the morale of the party cadre by congratulating them for their commitment and organisational skills despite the adverse political situation in the state.
At a meeting of around 6,000 leaders in charge of the BJP’s Shakti Kendras at Marine Drive in Kochi, Modi kept addressing his party colleagues in Malayalam. Whenever he wanted to make a point, he began it with the phrase Keralathile ente sahapravarthakare (My colleagues in Kerala).
In Thrissur, it was Modiyude guarantee (Modi’s guarantee).
“Even in diverse environments, generations of BJP workers have succeeded in flying the party’s flags in every nook and corner of the state. I salute them,” Modi said in his opening remarks.
He claimed that the love and affection the people of Kerala have shown him has always left him speechless. Making an emotional pitch, he said people blessed him on his arrival in Kochi on Tuesday and on the route to the Thriprayar temple the next morning.
Recalling the women’s meeting in Thrissur two weeks ago, Modi congratulated the BJP workers for their organisational skills.
“I have spent most of my life in organisational work. I know how difficult it is to organise a programme,” he said, attempting to infuse a sense of confidence among his party cadre.
The rest of the speech centered around the achievements of the Union government over the past nine years. The prime minister said the LDF and UDF in Kerala were synonymous with corruption.
Many reforms have been carried out in the last 10 years to enhance 'Ease of Doing Business' in the sectors of ports, shipping and inland waterways. pic.twitter.com/xBxKTXYh2K
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 17, 2024
