Before every election to the Kerala Assembly, the BJP used to say that it would open its account in the State. This time, it has slightly altered that theme to say that it is contesting only to be the Opposition.
This is probably a well-thought-out amendment — the Opposition mentality is in the psyche of Keralites. It is said that the State lost many developmental projects because there would always be someone to oppose every project.
Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan showed that one could become popular and win an election by being in the Opposition. As Leader of the Opposition between 2001 and 2006, he took up several causes that became legendary. Even now, he raises the same issues that he did when he was part of the Opposition.
It is to this arena that the BJP is trying to make its entrance. “As the Opposition, we have got the Congress-led government at the Centre on their toes,” says Sushma Swaraj, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. “We can be an effective Opposition in Kerala too.”
The party has been able to turn the fight in a few constituencies into three-cornered contests. However, though it has organised protests against issues such as price rise, the BJP could never champion a cause to great heights — something even tribal organisations in Kerala have been able to do.
Further, even while gearing up for the Opposition role, the BJP manifesto does not touch on current issues in the Kerala like encroachment of land, the lottery scam, atrocities against women, and the endosulfan issue. It is focused on what a BJP government would do — the promises include homes for the homeless and other welfare measures.
On this, the party's national spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy said: “Don't deprive us of the dream to become the ruling party in Kerala. Anything can happen in politics.”
