The disillusionment of the saffron brigades
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During the 18th Lok Sabha elections, there is no doubt that the state which BJP and Sangh Parivar aimed their utmost was Kerala, a state that has never elected even a single Lok Sabha member from their party. In order to divide the people of Kerala, who have never been swayed by their rhetoric, spread propaganda, and incite hatred, they went to great lengths to poach leaders from various parties. These underhanded manoeuvres had begun much earlier, using agencies and brokers. Riding on the dream that these game plans would bear fruit, BJP leaders from Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod held press conferences, boasting that top leaders from the Left-UDF parties would join the BJP. But despite the lavish inducements and promises, not a single leader worth his name, except for a few faded stars from the cultural sphere, strayed into the BJP camp. This was the same pattern in previous elections as well. Apart from a few survivors of the Left-UDF front who had enjoyed their time as vice-chancellors, MLAs, and MPs, and who, intoxicated by power and driven by greed, had joined the ranks, not a single person of any value from Kerala's political and cultural spheres had gone to that camp. They only forsook their good reputation in the community in their pursuit of power and positions.
The public display of disappointment expressed on the eve of the election by the BJP state president, a candidate, and their intermediary is a clear indication that their intentions, including the misuse of money, allure, and central agencies, were not achieved in the least. Some of the prominent leaders from both fronts had held discussions with national leaders of the Sangh Parivar and had even reached the verge of joining the party, they claimed. Kerala society often takes their words casually, considering them to be mere jester's tales, and their statements would not normally even make news. However, this matter became a topic of discussion as the named leaders are well known. It is clear what the interest was behind some channels turning this issue into a full-blown discussion, without seriously discussing the dangers of the hate speeches made by the Prime Minister. With just hours left for polling to begin, they made a last-ditch effort to create as much confusion as possible among the voters.
Despite a decade of relentless efforts to destabilize state governments and expand its party base by exploiting central power and intimidating investigation agencies, the BJP has only managed to attract a handful of tainted and power-hungry leaders through Operation Lotus. The biggest temptation in this operation was that even those facing multi-crore corruption charges could get themselves "washed clean" like dirty clothes thrown into a washing machine, once they joined the BJP. Reports from Karnataka and other states indicate that many such people are now returning to their old asylums. The fact that despite their best efforts, the BJP could not win over even tainted leaders from Kerala shows the the extent of disdain with which political Kerala looks at this party. Even if some leaders abandon secular democratic parties and join the communal fold of the Sangh Parivar, the party ranks or the general public will no longer be shocked or cry out in anguish. If there are leaders who sympathize, even in their minds, with a group that has ruined the country throughout a decade, they should leave as soon as possible and cleanse the party of such waste. Everyone wants that. Those are liabilities for organisations that are striving to reclaim India by facing all kinds of oppression and challenges from communal politics, no matter how powerful they are.