There is an uproar, 'upcountry'. The trigger is a whitewash scenario from the southern most tip of the nation staring at the ruling dispensation.
Much to the dismay of Narendra Modi's New India, Kerala discarded the saffron outfit with consummate ease.
In social media, this unique world vision of God's own country triggered a raging debate on the pros and cons of such a narrative, completely out of sync with what is being touted as the mood of the nation.
Is there a pathological hatred for saffron on full bloom in Kerala? If so why?
Political realities are obvious. It is tough for the Lotus to stay afloat in Kerala.
There are probably other triggers, too.
An overwhelming chunk of the Hindus, the majority community of the state, do not subscribe to the idea of polarisation based on religion.
And what is perceived as the hallmark of the Sangh outfits is unacceptable to a majority in the majority community itself, or read Hindus as per the BJP's lexicon, on whom the BJP pinned its political calculus.
The BJP's arithmetic is being engineered in such a way that it does not need the backing of minorities any more across the country.
Despite claims about being inclusive, this is the reality of the New India which the Sangh-led BJP is marshalling.
Perhaps, that is not at all acceptable in Kerala. Mob lynching as a political tool is detested here.
Accepted, there are odd voices who have rallied to justify political killings in God's own country.
But such voices of hatred have been given a drubbing time and again.
This verdict also is a reflection of an antipathy to political violence -– a twin murder by the ruling front has had a clear fall-out in northern Kerala.
So, you need to forget about inciting mob violence.
Transporting cattle, eating beef, constructing temples and whipping up hysteria over perceived injustice to the majority community are themes that do not find enough resonance to alter the political realities of this state.
Not that there are no takers for such myopic world vision.
Shrill voices are indeed gaining traction, but mostly end up creating revulsion.
This activates a reverse polarisation among a silent chunk of the electorate.
Make no mistake, it ain't minority consolidation alone.
It is consolidation across communities to weed out what they perceive as an alien evil.
Known evils are far more acceptable here. This necessitates a fortress to guard against the tidal waves of majoritarianism emanating from vast swathes of the country.
Consolidation across communities is the name of that fortress, which Kerala has stitched up now.
Embedded in that political statement is also a proclamation that thinking differently is a way of life here.
That is perhaps why Kerala voted en masse to back Indira's Congress immediately after the demon of Emergency was unleashed.
There is some order in the chaos of Kerala. Or rather, it seeks order in chaos too.
You need to subtly weave in religion or caste-based priorities. Blatant provocation and polarisation of the Adityanath kind won't work.
Without doubt, the BJP's political rivals in Kerala do play the communal and polarising cards. They play it deftly.
Political violence, too, is not anathema for key players. But they bury it as 'isolated incidents', not flaunt them.
The CPM has made the mistake of flaunting political violence and garlanding perpetrators of violence. The defence was mostly confined to the presumption that such heroes of hatred are innocent until proven guilty.
That did not cut ice here. It got the drubbing it deserved on such occasions.
So do not dabble with the notion that you can flaunt violence and get away with it.
In other words, you need to pamper the subtle nuances of God's cherished country to make a political living here. And do not meddle with our culinary tastes.
Beef curry is not a staple diet, it is an emotive issue, which is directly proportional to the BJP's agenda on the palate.
We have too many holy cows, but we do not require Gaurakshaks. Local BJP leaders understand this, but perhaps they are unable to convey the dangers of dabbling with a constituency of beef to their political masters 'upcountry'.
That is why they languish in the periphery of political wilderness.
Pyare deshwasiyon, wake up. And embrace the riddle of Kerala, wrapped in subtle nuances and seeped in contradictions. Otherwise, this fortress can never be breached.
