CPM general secretary M A Baby on Tuesday said that the BJP was growing in Kerala not only "at the expense of the Congress"  but was "expanding its influence" in CPM areas, too.

The newly elected general secretary was interacting with the media in Thiruvananthapuram. Initially, Baby argued that the CPM had steadfastly stood in the way of the BJP in Kerala, had never allowed the party to open an account in the State. "Anyone with a basic understanding of arithmetic will know how the BJP won in Kerala," Baby said. The implication was that it was the UDF votes that allowed the BJP to win an Assembly seat (Nemom in 2016) and a Lok Sabha seat (Thrissur - 2024).

Baby further said that the Congress, in addition to facilitating the BJP's wins in Nemom and Thrissur, had assisted the saffron party to increase its Rajya Sabha numbers. The general secretary was referring to Congress leader K C Venugopal's decision to renounce his RS seat in Rajasthan and contest for the Alappuzha Lok Sabha seat in 2024. The upper house seat that Venugopal vacated was then won by the BJP.

At this point, Baby was asked about the massive fall in CPM votes in Lok Sabha constituencies like Attingal and Kattakada. He immediately admitted that a preliminary assessment of the party had found that the "BJP was trying to grow in areas where the CPM has influence". "We have asked the concerned committees to take this seriously and put in place the necessary measures to prevent the growth of the BJP," he said. "Therefore, it is not only at the expense of the Congress that the BJP is growing in Kerala," Baby said 

If the BJP is growing even in areas where the CPM is strong, Baby said it was the result of the successful creation of a mass consciousness of the BJP's suitability. "There was a time when to line up behind the BJP was considered a disgrace," Baby said. "Those who had once supported the Sangh Parivar in stealth are now open about it. Their inclination is validated by the fact that the party they have vouched for is ruling the country. It is the repeated BJP wins that have created this mass consciousness (of the BJP's suitability). Such a phenomenon of validation, originating from the consecutive BJP wins, can be seen to drive voters in various parts of Kerala, too," Baby said.

He said there were other motivations, too. "There are many who crave official distinctions like the Padma awards. Many of our 'Pranchiyettans' are lured to the BJP for this very reason, " Baby said.