BJP's Kerala chief P S Sreedharan Pillai would be scripting history if his party manages to open an account in the state as the exit polls indicate. However, Pillai would find himself on a sticky ground if the exit polls are proved wrong on Thursday, the day of the counting of votes cast in the Lok Sabha elections held in the state last month.
Excerpts from Pillai's interview with Manorama.
Exit polls predict BJP would open an account in Kerala. Will it be a reality?
As per our calculations, BJP would win several seats and will double its 2014 Lok Sabha vote share. At the least the BJP would win more than one seat and 17 per cent of the votes. The BJP would definitely increase the number of its supporters.
To win the parliamentary seat a candidate would need 3-3.5 lakh votes. Is the BJP capable of securing that number in Kerala?
In at least 5-7 constituencies, the BJP would garner more than 3 lakh votes. The BJP secured the then record figures of 12.11 per cent vote share and an NDA candidate's victory from Muvattupuzha in 2004 when I was the president. This time around, it would be even bigger.
How can BJP win in Kerala without getting votes from the minority communities?
We want to win minority votes. However, both the fronts in Kerala are creating fear and hatred in the minds of minorities towards BJP. The party has always been able to win Christian votes whenever its candidates contested in Chengannur. However, the United Democratic Front (UDF) might benefit from the hatred spread by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) this time around. The Congress had taken clear efforts to ensure minority votes.
That means the BJP believes the UDF would make gains in this LS polls
I am not saying so. The results are going to be out soon. The BJP opposes both the ruling and opposition fronts. The party doesn't think one is better than the other in any sector.
The BJP was not able to better its record figure of 12 per cent in the 2004 polls. Isn't that the failure of your successors?
The BJP is not dependent on any one individual. The president’s job is to lead the party. The committee would make the decisions. However, the president is the first figure in the committee. I’m not gloating over the 2004 polls. If we are able to better that, it will be result of the combined efforts of everyone in the party.
If the BJP is able to make gains this year, would it be because of the Sabarimala agitation?
One cannot make light of Sabarimala's role in the BJP’s growth in the state. It also contains the Malayali's wish to see Narendra Modi government continuing at the Centre.
As a political party, the BJP set an agenda and that is what made the difference. A case was filed against me for saying Sabarimala stir was a golden opportunity during a Yuva Morcha meeting. However, now even Congress leaders A K Antony and Mullappally Ramachandran, and Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran are terming Sabarimala as a major issue. Both the fronts had to oppose our agenda.
Then aren't you clearly saying that BJP tried to make gains by making Sabarimala row into an agenda?
Only after the results will we know that if the BJP made gains. The BJP was not trying to sell the issue. The issue reflects the core ideas of the party. But if we had adopted a Gandhian mode of protest, others, including an ousted leader, would try to hijack it.
Were you referring to Praveen Togadia?
I do not want to reveal the name now. The BJP was the first to start the stir, and then Hindu outfits and Sanyasi communities joined up. The BJP set the agenda for the stir. Then other forces who tried to intervene became irrelevant.
Is the BJP pinning its hopes on Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur?
Not just these. The BJP has fared better in other constituencies too. These three fall into the ‘will win’ category.
So if the BJP does manage to open account in Kerala, will you call it as Lord Ayyappa's blessings?
I would not say so. The party's influence in state did not grow due to this one factor alone.
Didn't NSS come closer to BJP during the Sabarimala stir? Does the party now have the outfit's backing?
The Nair Service Society (NSS) always stood by its equidistant policy. At the same time, the BJP was able to get lot of support from outside the NSS fold in key constituencies. We do not know if the outfit had issued any instructions to its members.
Vellappally Natesan, the general secretary of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, stood with the LDF. So did the party benefit with the support from its political party Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS)?
Vellappally Natesan said that he had taken a neutral stand and that he did not particularly favour the LDF. Indications are that the BJP has benefited with the support of the BDJS. The results will have an impact on both the fronts. With the NDA forming government at the Centre, the BJP-led front will gain more strength in the state.
By raising slogans like 'Will Stop the Fascists', the Communists are slowly moving out of the picture. Most Hindu votes are traditionally for the CPM. The results will show that the same set of people will not forgive the CPM over the Sabarimala row. The CPM has been virtually digging its own grave. And didn’t the exit polls show a clear picture show of the state of the Congress?
Even if the NDA government comes to power at the Centre, wouldn't the failure to open account in Kerala be dubbed as failure of BJP's state leadership?
I do not believe it to be so. The measure of people's support is not just votes. This time around, the BJP will get its highest number of votes in Parliamentary elections. Can a leader perform magic to ensure victory in a constituency? Wasn't the BJP able to become a force of reckoning in the state?
Allegations against you are over changing stances and taking U-turns on issues…
The BJP state president who is heading the Sabarimala stir would definitely face tricky circumstances and harsh criticisms.
Are you confident of continuing in the president's post even after the LS polls?
That's all for the party to decide. The party has nurtured me well. I have twice become the state president. The party gave me the job at appropriate time and I merely did my task utmost sincerity.