THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Even as the BJP creates a hype over the Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya, the state Congress is confident the ‘Ram Mandir effect’ will not benefit the saffron party in Kerala in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2019 LS poll, the Sabarimala women’s entry issue was the focal point of the campaigns by both BJP and UDF. However, despite BJP working hard to curry favour with the masses under the guise of the Sabarimala agitation, it was Congress that walked away with the pie.
Monday’s temple ceremony did create ripples in Kerala. With another election around the corner, BJP held special prayers at makeshift centres across the state to cash in on the sentiment. UDF, however, is confident it won’t have any impact.
RSP state secretary Shibu Baby John says it may work in North India, but not in Kerala. “People of Kerala are intelligent. Did anything go in BJP’s favour in the last LS election despite them raking up the Sabarimala issue? There is nothing to feel apprehensive about BJP’s Ram temple propaganda making waves in the imminent election,” he told TNIE.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan too said faith and politics shouldn’t go hand-in-hand. “Congress is never against beliefs. The people of Kerala are intelligent enough to see the opportunistic propaganda being generated by the BJP leadership,” he said.