LS Poll Results Lesson for BJP That They Do Better on Other Tracks than Communalism: Tharoor
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who won a fourth consecutive time from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, on Tuesday said that the poll results were a lesson for the BJP that they do better when they go on other tracks, like development, instead of communalism.
Tharoor said that the poll results were also a "serious message by the electorate to the BJP that their kind of governance needs to improve colossally".
The Congress leader said that the saffron party will be able to appeal to voters in Kerala only if it goes beyond the "classic sort of north Indian BJP template".
"... I always felt that the BJP was hitting a ceiling in Kerala because of the communalism embodied in their messaging. That when they go on other tracks they do better. Whether it was the development track that Rajeev Chandrasekhar espoused here or the conscious outreach to minorities and for sure by Suresh Gopi.
"When you go beyond the classic sort of north Indian BJP template, only then can you appeal to voters in Kerala. And that's been a very clear discovery or confirmation of the selection," he told PTI video.
Tharoor further said that it was always clear that crossing 400 was impossible for the BJP, attaining 300 was very difficult and reaching 200 would be a challenge.
"We were always clear that 'chaarso (400) paar' was impossible, it was a fantasy, and 'teenso (300) paar' was very difficult. 'Doso (200) paar', we said, would be a challenge for the BJP," he said.
He further said that so far, it looked as if the BJP will not reach the majority mark on its own.
"And if it were not for the latest allies they found in the last six, seven months... Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu are all very recent allies. They were people who abandoned the BJP in the past. So if it weren't for that, the BJP would not even be discussing the possibility of forming the government," Tharoor said.
He said that he has not been able to spend much time thinking about or discussing the national picture, but he will focus on that when he goes to Delhi on Wednesday.
"But for now, it is clear to me, that there is a very serious message by the electorate to the BJP that their kind of governance needs to improve colossally and I think that even now if the allies decide that they would rather come to us than go there, we might see a change in government," the Congress leader said.
At the same time, he said that the BJP winning one seat in Kerala was "a breakthrough for them".
"On the other hand, it does not necessarily signal it is 5 per cent of the seats. I mean, let's not say that they've done so well," he said.
With regard to the BJP campaign in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor said that their pitch to the public was that if you vote for the saffron party you get a minister in the Central government "who will deliver all sorts of wonders and goodies for you".
"When you vote for Tharoor you end up with an opposition leader. And that did have an impact in the city. No question about it. It was a more effective campaign than one might have otherwise made allowances for," he said.
He also said that the Congress-led UDF was not just fighting the BJP and the NDA in Kerala, but also the LDF.
Tharoor said that since the LDF was fighting against the UDF, it was "an opportunity for the voters to show their preference or lack thereof" between the two fronts.
".. and I think the message is very clear. There is a great deal of anti-incumbency, a great deal of unpopularity that is besieging the LDF candidates," he said.
On being asked about West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and her party, Tharoor said that she was "a fighter".
"I had a lot of faith in her ability to hold back the tide of the BJP. The BJP was saying all sorts of things, but I honestly didn't want to make too much of a song and dance because obviously we're not allied with them in the elections.
"We are allied with them beyond the elections and I am sure many of us would be happy to see TMC coming and playing a major part in the Parliament after the elections," he said.
Regarding the results in Telangana, he said "they've done better than expected".
"But you know, it's interesting that the voters clearly think differently when it comes to national elections than when it comes to state elections.
"But still, broadly speaking, the trend is still very much ... Remember we had four seats in Telangana last time. We've got eight, so we've doubled our performance and that's great," he said.
