Buoyed on the success in the recently- concluded state assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra, in which the BJP raked up Hindutva with its slogan of “Batenge Toh Katenge”, will the saffron outfit make Kerala its next Hindutva laboratory?

The BJP may be making plans for the next Kerala Assembly Elections, that may be held in April 2026 after it made history in Lok Sabha Elections 2024 by winning a seat from the state for the first time.

K Surendran won from Thrissur, infusing enthusiasm and optimism. This may have encouraged the saffron party to think big and work relentlessly to have its root in south India, that has eluded it till now.

BJP Plan Behind Nitesh Rane’s Comment?

After Maharashtra Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitesh Rane labelled Kerala as ‘mini-Pakistan’, and alleged that Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were elected from Wayanad because terrorists voted for them, the political analyst believe the saffron party has a bigger design, and it is not an off the cuff remark by the leader.

The 42-year-old son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane said in a public meeting, “Kerala is mini Pakistan that is why Rahul Gandhi and his sister are elected from there. All terrorists vote for them.”

He emphasised, “This is the truth, you can ask. They have become MPs after taking terrorists with them.”

After coming under scathing attack for calling Kerala the mini-Pakistan, the BJP leader came out with a clarification, “Kerala is very much part of India.:

However, Nitish Rane stuck to his guns and said that the decreasing population of Hindus should e worry everyone. He said that the religious conversion of Hindus into Muslims and Christians had become an everyday thing there.

It is clear that he has chosen to rake up the Hindutva issue, though he withdrew his comment on Kerala being the mini-Pakistan.

BJP Plans To Make Inroads In South?

The BJP, that has crossed the limit of Hindi heartland and made deep inroads into many parts of the country in an attempt to have a pan-India presence and bring the Hindu society under its umbrella, has failed miserably to reach south India. It is still considered a North Indian, Brahamanic party dominated by the upper caste people.

When the protests against the Supreme Court verdict allowing the women to enter the Sabrimala temple was launched, the saffron party put its weight behind it.

The BJP unite other Hindu outfits to come under an umbrella organisation of Kerala Karma Samithi in October 2018.

BJP Protests On Sabrimala Issue

The saffron party called for a strike against the alleged police violence against Prakash Babu, state president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha on October 6.

The BJP organised the second strike on October 18, 2018, joined by Malayalam actor and BJP member Kollam Thulasi, who went to the extent of declaring hat that women who entered Sabarimala should be ripped in half.

Home Minister Amit Shah went to the extent of saying that a court can not give verdict on the matter of faith.

The BJP workers allegedly torched more than 100 buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation. Besides, offices, libraries and businesses related to the ruling CPIM were damaged.

Electoral Fallout?

The months-long movement on such an emotive issue did not enable the BJP taste it first electoral victory in Kerala Assembly Elections 2021.

The saffron party got 2354,468 or 11.3% of the total votes of the 115 constituencies, itt feilded its candidates. However, its vote share went up by 0.77% compared to what it polled in assembly elections held in 2016.

‘Batenge Toh Katenge’

The saffron party chanted the slogan of “Batenge Toh Katenge” in Haryana and made it a poll issue to slam Bangladesh for the treatment meted out to Hindus in that country. The BJP scored an unexpected win in the polls, notwithstanding the survey polls and predictions by poll-pundits.

The BJP raised this issue in Maharashtra Assembly Elections too and escalated it to a new height despite opposition by Mahayuti coalition members the NCP and the Shiv Sena.

The slogan that was coined to spread the ill-fealings against minority Msulims was changed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said, “Ek Hain Toh Safe Hain”.

The BJP won 132 seats while its allies Shiv Sena got 57 and the NCP 41 seats in the 288-member House.

Nitesh Rane won assembly election from Kankavli constituency and became a cabinet minister.

When Nitesh Rane called Kerala the “mini-Pakistan” and stuck to his claims on conversion of Hindus and the so-called love-jihad, he has indicated the BJP strategy for Kerala.

Political analysts believe, the saffron party may have planned to keep on raking up the Hindutva issue in Kerala so that it could polarise the votes in the forthcoming assembly elections.