Kochi: The absence of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy from the swearing-in ceremony of Mr Narendra Modi has come as a wrong starter in centre-state relations with the BJP picking holes in the decision. The state BJP’s top brass believes that Mr Oommen Chandy has done it under the influence of the IUML which is upset with the formation of the Modi government. Based on certain inputs, the party is understood to have launched a secret probe.
The BJP, which has launched a Mission 71+ campaign in Kerala to grab absolute majority in the Assembly elections in 2016, is ready to seize any minor lapse on the part of both the Congress and the CPM to corner the remaining Hindu votes they have. The ‘IUML factor’ for Mr Chandy’s absence is certain to cut ice with a vast section of Hindu voters in the state who are being swayed by the Modi wave, which the BJP hopes to cash in on. The Mission 71+ campaign is already going strong on the social networking sites.
The party leadership is happy that this time neither the Congress nor the CPM accused the BJP of trading its votes for the LDF or the UDF candidates. A senior leader of the party said that this was the strongest indication of the party being taken as a serious contender in state politics. “Here we begin. This is different from the situation when Vajpayee seized power at the centre. The surge in our votes has really appalled the two parties. But the real shock is still to come,” he said.
Mr Modi’s dedication of his victory to the party’s Kerala martyrs in Delhi too has come as a morale booster for the party cadre in the state.
