THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With a new president taking over the mantle of the BJP’s state unit, Kerala politics is witnessing a paradigm shift. In a state that has always been a playground of hardcore traditional politicians, Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s ascent marks the first time a technocrat-turned-politician is heading a political party.
For the ruling LDF and principal opposition UDF, the development presents a new political turf. And for the state BJP, this is a new experiment the national leadership has decided to carry out.
In south India, only in two states — Tamil Nadu and Kerala — has the BJP failed to topple the prevailing political ecosystem. Of the two, Tamil Nadu has been the priority for the party. Of late, however, the BJP national leadership has realised the importance of Kerala too. Chandrasekhar’s appointment comes at a time when the two states have been engaged in an ideological and political battle against the RSS-BJP’s Hindutva plank and the Union government’s expansion of power over states.
While the CPM defies BJP’s ‘Gujarat Model’ of development with the ‘Kerala Model’, in Tamil Nadu, the DMK is taking on the Hindutva ideology with the Dravidian ideology.
“Now, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the only two states posing a threat to the Centre’s alleged aggressive unitary state politics,” political analyst Ajith Sreenivasan told TNIE.
“These states are the symbol of federal rights. Hence, the BJP, which had overcome all obstacles in its path, like the abrogation of article 370, will not entertain such an ideological and political threat.”
Much like making former IPS officer K Annamalai its state president in Tamil Nadu and propagating the Hindutva ideology against Dravidian politics, the BJP leadership has now decided to take on the ‘Kerala Model’. So far, it has been the national leaders — from PM Modi to Union ministers — who took on the Kerala model of development, either when they came to the state or spoke in the parliament.
However, by making a successful, ultra-rich businessman-turned-politician and a former Union minister with 18 years of experience the state president, the BJP would aim to confront the narrative the Left puts forward.
“The main political parties haven’t addressed the issues of the state’s youth who comprise 30% of the population,” political commentator Premkumar said.
“DYFI’s startup programme was an exception. Rajeev Chandrasekhar is an apt representation of the politics the BJP has put forward in the country. He is not a seasoned politician. But at the same time, he is a tech-savvy personality who always speaks about development and about presenting an alternative development politics to the youth.”
However, according to political analyst Prem Kumar, there is another side to it.
“He can also deliver communal politics very well, which we all saw in the Kalamassery bomb blast incident. He will not hesitate to play that card. That is a volatile combination,” he said.
Chandrasekhar’s entry also signals the start of a new era in the state BJP unit which has been crippled by groupism.