With extensive campaign, plans to ‘expose’ Sangh Parivar ‘attacks’, Cong gets ready to take on BJP’s minority outreach in Kerala

The party also plans to strengthen its ties with various community leaders in Kerala at a time when BJP’s national and state leaders are holding frequent meetings with Christian religious leaders.

On Thursday, state Congress president K Sudhakaran said the party will have discussions with leaders of all communities in Kerala. “There would be regular discussions and meetings with leaders of all sections…it would be made part of the Congress’s daily work culture in the state. Leaders at all levels would be entrusted with this task and the party would have an action plan towards this effect,’’ he said.

He claimed that the Congress will “expose” the Sangh Parivar’s alleged attacks on minorities.

“Christian minorities have been attacked by BJP and Sangh Parivar organisations. We would take these attacks to people across the state. Exhibitions and documentaries would be held across the state to show the Sangh Parivar’s real face to the people. The party would assign a committee for this,’’ he said.

Keeping up its outreach attempts, meanwhile, the state BJP on Thursday announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet bishops in Kochi during his visit on Monday. State BJP chief K Surendran said, “The Christian community in Kerala has rejected the Congress-CPI(M) false campaigns. Bishops and priests coming in support of development would be beneficial for the future of the state.”

Sudhakaran, on the other hand, alleged that the BJP and CPI(M) have joined hands to weaken the Congress in the state. “The ED had questioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, but central agencies are not ready to question Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, who has been facing allegations in many cases,” he said.

With the BJP conducting a youth conference — YUVAM — in Kochi on April 24, in which the Prime Minister is scheduled to interact with the youth, the state Congress is planning a similar youth conference in the city next month, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attending it. “The youth conference would be against the anti-youth policies of the state (government) and the Centre. Rahul Gandhi will take part in the conference. This will be held as a counter to BJP’s YUVAM,’’ Sudhakaran said .

The decisions of the Congress political affairs committee indicate the party recognises the gravity of the growing threat posed by the saffron party in Kerala so far as minority Christian votes are concerned. When the BJP recently intensified its Christian outreach programme in Kerala, the Congress had faced flak from within for not countering it. Senior party MP and former KPCC president K Muraleedharan and former state minister K C Joseph had come out against the leadership of Sudhakaran and Opposition leader V D Satheesan for maintaining “distance from religious leaders and community heads”.

Muraleedharan was of the opinion that the Congress should take a serious note of the Christian clergy responding positively to the visiting BJP leaders.