The BJP National President JP Nadda has said the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) are ‘bhai-bhai’ in Kerala, joining the chorus alleging a ‘deal’ between its two rival fronts against it in the State as campaigning for the Assembly elections peaks.

“The genuine contestant here is the BJP that pilots the National Democratic Alliance (NDA),” Nadda said while taking part in a roadshow in the Nemom seat where the party is locked in a prestigious fight to defend its lone and first-ever seat won in the 2016 elections through senior-most leader O Rajagopal.

‘Kummanam, widely respected’

This time round, the party has fielded Kummanam Rajasekharan, former Mizoram Governor and a former president of the Kerala unit of the BJP, who, unlike was the case with Rajagopal, faces a tough contest against K Muraleedharan of the Congress and V Sivankutty of the CPI(M), who ran up second in 2016.

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Nadda said that in Kummanam Rajasekharan, Nemom has a widely respected and universally accepted candidate. In fact, it’s the BJP alone which has put up a credible fight here while other two are hand-in-glove with each other. “Just look at its consistent stance on Sabarimala while the two others wavered.”

Works funded by Centre

Earlier on Saturday, Nadda said in Thrissur had said that all major development projects in Kerala have been funded by the Centre, while addressing a meeting at Vadanappally during a roadshow as a part of the poll campaign of AN Radhakrishnan, the NDA candidate in Manalur constituency.

“You take the GAIL pipeline project, expansion of Cochin Refineries, National Highway projects or Kanyakumari-Mumbai Economic Corridor project…a major chunk of funds has come from the Centre. Under the UPA regime, the 13th Finance Commission had allotted ₹45,000 crore to Kerala. But the 14th Finance Commission under Narendra Modi has granted ₹2 lakh crore to Kerala,” Nadda noted.

‘Offering just lip service’

As for Sabarimala, the LDF government had deeply hurt the religious sentiments of crores of devotees. “When BJP men and women were being thrashed by the police for holding protests over the matter, the UDF leaders and workers offered only lip service at best. The BJP had alone stood by the cause of the believers,” he added.

Referring to the political scams, Nadda said the gold smuggling case during LDF rule and the solar scam during the previous UDF regime had marred the state’s reputation at the national and international levels. The youth here are educated but they have had to leave home and look for jobs elsewhere.

Plight of educated youth

Both the LDF and UDF who ruled the state for the past six decades are squarely responsible for their plight. So, people should vote both out and favour the BJP with chance if they want development. The lotus will bloom in Manalur and several other constituencies in the State this time, he said.

While speaking in Kannur earlier, Nadda said that both the LDF and the UDF are synonyms of corruption and it’s time Kerala got rid of them. He said this while addressing a campaign meeting for the NDA candidate CK Padmanabhan who is contesting from the Dharmadam against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

‘Synonyms of corruption’

“At one time it was the Chief Minister who said that the Central agencies should investigate the gold scam. But when the agencies started an investigation and it reached his office, he suddenly changed tack saying that the central agencies are acting at the behest of the Centre,” Nadda said.

Both the CPM and the Congress are confused and are facing an ideological crisis. While in Kerala they both fight with each other, they are teaming up as comrades in arms in West Bengal and taking on the BJP.

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