MALAPPURAM: Having entered the fray late in the Nilambur by-election, NDA candidate Mohan George is on a mission to widen the front’s vote base. TNIE catches up with him for a quick chat. Excerpts
Trolls say that your speciality is that you became a candidate first and then took party membership...
I am a BJP member. The BJP is a big party. They discuss a lot before choosing their candidate. I was asked about it a week ago. I wasn’t that interested. Later, they contacted me several times and many leaders came to me. They probably saw some potential in me.
Demographically, a Christian vote base is crucial in this constituency...
That may also be a factor. Didn’t I say the BJP would have considered all factors when it made me its candidate?
How much of a divide can you make among the Christian voters?
Christians are the ones who want a change. There has been a huge difference in the attitude of Christians. They don’t see the BJP in the same way they used to. Now, they are ready to accept Narendra Modi. They are interested in Narendra Modi’s development policies. Wherever I went, many people told me they had already been converted into the BJP but were afraid to admit it publicly.
At the same time, there have been incidents where Christians are being attacked, including in north India. Aren’t the Christian people you approach here talking about it?
That is a misconception. Four states in the northeast are Christian majority states. They say that there are minor problems there. In Kerala, Christians are less than 18-20%. So, it isn’t a relevant issue here. It is just a small propaganda against the BJP.
How about Manipur riots?
In Manipur, it’s just an ethnic riot.
Is there any chance of winning in Nilambur? Last time, BJP got only 8,500 votes...
Yes. Times change, don’t they? In the past, the BJP got just two seats in India. But today, it is the party that rules India. It is changing. And let me tell you one more thing. In 2004, P C Thomas contested and won as an NDA candidate in Muvattupuzha. People want a change and it’s there in their minds.