Kerala BJP shoots itself in the foot, plays song urging people to destroy the ‘corrupt’ Union government

The BJP chief had also got into trouble for sharing a poster of the padayatra that mentioned his 'lunch with SC/ST leaders of the party'.

BySouth First Desk

Published Feb 22, 2024 | 3:10 PM ⚊UpdatedFeb 22, 2024 | 3:10 PM

Surendran

K Surendran leading the padayatra. (X)

Kerala BJP president K Surendran’s statewide padayatra, or foot march, got off on the wrong foot, leaving the party embarrassed — and others in stitches.

The party intended to expose the corruption of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government and highlight the achievements of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

The BJP, trying for a foothold in Kerala, made the preparations in advance and even had a song readied. And it boomeranged and the party shot itself in its foot.

The song urged the people “to join hands to destroy the Union government notorious for corruption”. By the time the BJP realised the folly, the song, released on the YouTube channel, BJP Keralam, went viral on social media and made waves across the state as it went viral on social media, earning both bouquets and brickbats.

Even as some netizens lauded the BJP for its “honesty”, an embarrassed party pulled down the song — instead of the government as the lyrics urged — and blamed its IT department for the blunder.

According to a Deccan Herald report, the song was prepared during the 2014 election campaign, targeting the UPA government. The same song was re-used for Surendran’s padayatra a decade later, apparently ignoring the changed political landscape.

Also Read: Bhupender Yadav offers ‘full support’ to families of Wayanad wild animal victims

Poster blues too…

The song was not the only one that put the BJP and the padayatra on the backfoot. A poster detailing Surendran’s itinerary mentioned his breakfast and lunch. While the poster said Surendran will have breakfast at the Araya Samajam, Marad, it underscored that he would lunch with Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes leaders on 20 February.

The controversial poster. (Facebook)

The controversial poster. (Facebook)

The specific mention of Arayas — fishermen community — and lunch with SC/ST leaders made the Congress allege that the BJP had insulted Dalits.

“Anyone can meet, speak, and have food with any person of their choice. However, specifically mentioning that you will share lunch with an SC/ST leader amounts to humiliating them,” Congress MP K Muraleedharan said.

Adding that such discriminatory practices could not be encouraged, he said: “Instead of these kinds of posters, you can meet SC/ST leaders and hear their grievances.”

Also Read: Gujarat ‘loan app operators’ arrested for Kerala man’s suicide

People react

People soon reacted to the video asking to vote against the Union government.

One person wrote on X, “Things are so bad the Kerala BJP is taking out a padayatra against the corrupt central government.”

Another person said that the state unit of the BJP is going against the Union government. “Line up people, rise up people, Let’s get rid of the central government’s corrupted Ruling,” the user wrote.

One person questioned whether the state unit leaders of the BJP were joining the Opposition.

Another person appreciated the BJP Kerala unit for their “honesty”.

“Kerala BJP says that the central government is famous for corruption. Now, I think we have to trust their honesty,” the user wrote.

Tags:  

Recommended For You

Latest News

Top News