The visits to Kerala by heads of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party in less than a week have sown confusion and anxiety among the major parties in the State’s ruling UDF and Opposition lDF, especially their leaders of the Congress and the CPI(M).
Both the Congress and leftist camps suspect that the simultaneous visits by RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat and national BJP president Amit Shah are part of a pre-planned, coordinated effort to prepare the Sangh Pariwar in the State to make possible surprise victories for the BJP in the polls to be held henceforth.
The Sarsanghchalak had attended a series of RSS meetings and other programmes at Thodupuzha in Idukki district from August 26 to 30. Bhagwat’s visit had acquired added significance in the context of reports about a Sangh Pariwar bid to strengthen their network in the region of settler farmers dominated by the Catholic Church.
Amit shah will be participating in at least two crucial meetings of the State BJP in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday on his first-ever visit to Kerala after becoming the party chief. Apart from giving a new energy to the workers, the Shah visit is expected to bring to an end the alleged group fights in the State BJP.
Despite the fact that the BJP has not been able to “open account” so far in the Assembly or Parliament elections in Kerala, its performance in the 16th lok Sabha election had caused some concerns in the other major political parties in the State, especially the CPI(M), whose main support base has always been the lower middle class and middle class Hindus.
The Congress too is worried after the stunning performance BJP candidate O Rajagopal in Thiruvananthapuram in the last lok Sabha election against Shashi Tharoor. The BJP improved its vote-share in the 2014 election to 10.8 per cent from 6.3 per cent in 2009. Also, it claimed first position in six Assembly segments of two lok Sabha constituencies in the 2014 polls.
“Congress and CPI(M) leaders are intelligent enough not to make open comments about the Amit Shah visit. Still, they feel that Shah, who had led the BJP into a sparkling poll performance in Uttar Pradesh, may have some trick up his sleeve for Kerala, especially in the next panchayats election to be held in September, 2015,” said a senior editor of a pro-left daily.
According to sources in the BJP, the party thinks that it can “open account” in the State Assembly in a surprising manner, in the 2016 Assembly election, if it can make big strides in the local bodies elections, which many leaders think is quite possible considering the changes in the outlook of the general public in Kerala about the BJP after it came to power in the Centre.
“The feedback we get is immensely encouraging. Reports from our grassroots committees and the rural RSS Shakhas show that there is a big change in the attitude of the people in Kerala towards our party. Disillusionment with the UDF and the lDF and hopes about the BJP’s efficiency under Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be the reasons,” said a top BJP leader.
Amit Shah has a busy schedule in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. After interacting with top RSS functionaries in the morning, he will participate in a meeting of the State BJP office-bearers, which had started on Sunday. later, he will address a conference of about 8,000 party office-bearers from the level of panchayat committees.