Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 11 (PTI) The BJP’s dream of coming to power in Keralam will remain unfulfilled forever, Chief Minister V D Satheesan has said, asserting that the state’s secular character would stand in the way of the saffron party’s attempts to expand its political footprint.
He asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the RSS were not a big threat to the Congress, which, he said believes in secularism.
Even as the BJP has made electoral inroads in the state, winning three Assembly seats and the Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation, Satheesan attributed its success to the political failures of the CPI(M), alleging an “unholy nexus” between the two parties.
“Winning the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation election and three Assembly seats, it was a gift on a silver platter given by the CPI(M), (then) ruling CPI(M),” he told PTI Videos in an interview on Friday.
Satheesan argued that the BJP’s gains did not necessarily signal a major shift in Keralam’s political landscape.
He said the party’s prospects remained limited because the state continued to uphold secular values, despite attempts to polarise voters along communal lines.
“I don’t think that BJP will rule Keralam. They may get 15 per cent or below (vote share), maximum below 20 per cent, not more than that because Keralam is secular,” he said.
Explaining his criticism of the CPI(M), Satheesan said the BJP had benefited from delimitation-related issues and alleged irregularities in the corporation election.
He also pointed out that the CPI(M) had won two of the three Assembly constituencies by large margins in the previous election, with Nemom being the exception.
For Satheesan, the challenge posed by the BJP is not merely electoral but also ideological. He accused the BJP and the Sangh Parivar of attempting to weaken Keralam’s secular fabric by exploiting differences between communities.
The Congress, he said, had maintained a firm position against communal politics even during the election campaign in April this year, refusing to dilute its stand for electoral gains.
“We have taken an adamant stand, a secular stand when we were in the opposition, and now also, that nobody should speak communal things,” he said.
At the same time, Satheesan expressed concern over attempts by political and religious leaders to introduce communal divisions into the state.
“My complaint is that some of the political leaders, some of the religious leaders are making Keralam communal, trying to make Keralam communal,” he said.
Asked whether the BJP’s growing support was driven by PM Modi’s popularity or the RSS’ organisational strength, Satheesan said both factors had contributed to the party’s expansion.
“After Modi came to power, they have been ruling for a so many years, one factor may be there, and RSS, the Sangh Parivar, they are trying to make difference between the people, polarise,” he said.
He alleged that the Sangh Parivar was using polarisation and hate campaigns to create divisions among communities, adding that such tactics might produce temporary electoral gains in some areas.
However, Satheesan insisted that the BJP’s efforts would not fundamentally alter Keralam’s political and social character.
He said the Congress remained confident of its support across communities and did not view either PM Modi or the RSS as a major political threat.
“We don’t believe that they are a big threat to us. Okay. We are believing in secularism. We are sticking on that, we will take that position. Keralam is secular, they will not be able to make any change in Keralam,” he said.
The chief minister specifically accused the BJP of trying to drive a wedge between Christian and Muslim communities in the state, claiming that the effort had failed despite continuing for a decade.
“Actually, for the last 10 years, they have been trying to make split between Christian community and Muslim community in Keralam, BJP; but miserably failed,” he said.
He added that the Congress maintained strong relations with both communities. Satheesan also argued that the southern state’s Hindu community remained largely secular, pointing out that its members voted for both the CPI(M) and the Congress without necessarily subscribing to communal politics.
Turning to Modi’s completion of 25 years as the head of a government, first as Gujarat chief minister and later as PM, Satheesan congratulated him but questioned the political direction taken by the BJP.
“I congratulate him. But the problem is that BJP is going in a different way. They are not with our democratic principles. This a fascist government,” he charged.
He alleged that the BJP was seeking to consolidate majority community support by creating and exploiting differences between religious communities.
“They are trying to gather the majority community votes by sowing the seeds of hate campaign,” he alleged.
Satheesan placed the responsibility for this approach not merely on individual BJP leaders but on the wider Sangh Parivar, which he described as the driving force behind the party’s political agenda.
“Sangh Parivar’s main agenda is to make split between the people and spread hate campaigns,” he acccused.
Asked whether the Sangh Parivar controlled the BJP, including its top leadership, the CM answered in the affirmative, specifically naming the RSS.
“Of course, Sangh Parivar is controlling the party,” he said.
“Of course, the RSS is controlling the entire BJP, you know that. Nobody will deny that,” Satheesan added. PTI TGB VJ SA
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