THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar took over as the state president of BJP on Monday. In an apparent indication of his focus on the party’s future in Kerala, Chandrasekhar said what the people need is not the ‘nokkukooli Kerala’, but a prosperous, industrious and investment-friendly one which provides opportunities to the youth.
“This message should reach every house in the state. Kerala should become developed so that the people will also prosper. For that, an NDA-BJP government should be in power in the state. My task is to bring an NDA-BJP government to power in Kerala. I will retreat only after accomplishing this. I will be with the people all the time. The BJP should have political success in the state,” Chandrasekhar said in his first address to party leaders and workers after taking charge as state president in Thiruvananthapuram.
He also invoked Sree Narayana Guru’s verse, ‘Become enlightened through education, strengthened through organisation, and prosperous through hard work’.
Rajeev highlights need for state’s development
Opening a new political front against the ruling Left, the businessman-turned-politician said Kerala lags behind compared to other southern states. “Why is Kerala not attracting investment? The youth go to other states looking for opportunities. The people have lost belief in politics. Change is the need of the hour. Kerala’s current state of affairs is similar to the national situation in 2014 when Narendra Modi came to power for the first time. In 2014, India was in economic distress. The global changes currently happening are favourable to the nation,” he said.
Union minister and the leader in charge of the election of the state president in Kerala, Pralhad Joshi, said Rajeev Chandrasekhar has with him the blueprints for Kerala and the state BJP.
“The BJP is in power or in opposition in the majority of states, except in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Though the Union government has given Rs 1,400 crore to the state through NHM, the latter is claiming that the Centre had not issued financial assistance for ASHA workers. Kerala will not progress under the Communists,” he said.
Prakash Javadekar, the prabhari of the state, said the party’s new state president will tour all districts and lead the party. Saha prabhari Aparajita Sarang, former state president K Surendran, Union ministers Suresh Gopi and George Kurian and other leaders also spoke on the occasion. A formal meeting of the available core committee members meeting was also held.
Surendran, along with Suresh Gopi, George Kurian, Rajagopal, former state chiefs V Muraleedharan, Kummanam Rajasekharan, P K Krishnadas and C K Padmanabhan are part of the 30-member national council. Other prominent faces in the newly-elected national council include Anil Antony, P C George and Padmaja Venugopal.