THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai said the party is targeting to do a Tripura and come to power in Kerala in 2021. He was speaking to media persons during a ‘Meet the Press’ programme at the Thiruvananthapauram Press Club here on Thursday. Pillai, in his second stint as the party chief, said BJP is an inclusive political party and has no problem with any religion, be it Islam, Christianity or Hinduism. But the party is stern on India’s security.
When asked what his strategy would be for the next Lok Sabha elections, Pillai said: “How can one reveal the strategy? You will understand it once we implement it.” Pillai said the motto of the BJP for the next general elections is “Yes, We can” in a clear reference to the strategic alliances and political combinations that he might strike for the elections.“We have fought the general elections in 2004 when the mood was totally anti-BJP, still the NDA candidate won. This means that the community showered its love towards the BJP and the NDA candidate,” Pillai said.
He added the party state machinery is geared up to face three upcoming electoral battles - general elections in 2019, local body elections in 2020 and the Assembly election in 2021.He said the BJP doesn’t practise untouchability towards anyone or any political party. He pointed that the BJP under Atal Behari Vajpayee had entered into an alliance with the National Conference of Farook Abdulla and Omar Abdulla was made a minister. Similarly, the present BJP national leadership entered into tie up with the PDP and formed a government in Kashmir.
Pillai said Shashi Thaoor’s statement, that BJP would turn India into Hindu Pakistan, was aimed at distracting attention from the case he is facing. “Tharoor is accused in a case relating to the unfortunate death of his wife in which Article 306 is charged. He wanted to distract the attention and that’s why he has been creating a controversy.”