The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday attempted to put forward a transformative plan to help the party relegate its recent electoral and organisational reversals to the past and chart a buoyant course for the future.
The party's State committee that met online reportedly struggled to balance tensions between factional leaders over the controversies that had plagued the organisation. Some leaders demanded that the committee convene physically.
A party insider claimed the meeting was rancour-free. However, different leaders had suggested entirely different courses of action. But, their political aim remained the same. He denied that there was any "loud demand" for a leadership change.
The party reportedly debated the erosion of support for the party in the 2021 Assembly elections. It had sensed a shift in upper caste votes in favour of the Congress. Simultaneously, backward class votes, including those aligned to the BDJS, had gravitated towards the left.
An insider said the party debated the route back to political relevance in Kerala. The setbacks had not weakened the party's street clout. Its cadre strength remained undiluted. The BJP dispelled the allegation that it had used black money to influence the election.
The party discussed the fallout of the Kodakara black money heist case. It concluded that CPI(M) had plotted to discredit BJP leaders and trap them in criminal cases. The BJP would highlight the alleged criminality in the CPI(M). Its hit teams doubled as hired muscle for gold smugglers and hawala racketeers.
The BJP also latched on to the State Police Chief's alleged claim that the ISIS had gained a toehold in Kerala.
The party would continue its outreach to the Christian community. The BJP shared their purported concern about ‘love jihad.’ However, the CPI(M) had brushed the issue under the carpet and portrayed the matter as a chimaera conjured up by the BJP to demonise interfaith marriage.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan; State prabhari C.P. Radhakrishnan; Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, MP; and BJP State president K. Surendran chaired the meeting.
