“He (Rahul Gandhi) is a big person. He has relationships in India and abroad. What is his contribution? What funding has he brought to Wayanad? What is his prestigious project here? Apart from spending his MPLAD funds, what is he doing," asked K Surendran, Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate from the high-profile constituency, launching an attack against his primary target.
“For decades, Amethi was with the Gandhi family. What happened there? No development. The same thing is happening here. It’s a tribal district. PM Narendra Modi has made Wayanad an ‘aspirational district’. There is a committee headed by DM here. BJP leader and Union minister Smriti Irani [who defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi] came here twice to follow up on the ‘aspirational district’ activities. Till date, Rahul Gandhi hasn’t come for any meeting," alleged BJP’s Kerala chief Surendran, who has been given the tough task of beating the Congress party’s biggest face in Wayanad in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The contest although is not straightforward. Like last time, the Communist Party of India (CPI) is very much in the mix. The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has also put up a candidate, Annie Raja, from Wayanad, leaving the Opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc unity in the state in tatters.
227 CASES AGAINST SURENDRAN OVER SABARIMALA
Where does the BJP fit into this? Does it have any chance? In 2019, the BJP did not even have a candidate in Wayanad. The Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), fought the contest, ending up third with just over 7% votes.
“Annie Raja of the CPI is also a big leader. But who has the time for this constituency? That is why I say that I have a permanent visa, but they have a visitor’s visa. They can’t help Wayanadu people."
Surendran thunders, “I can, I will. Because I am the soldier of Narendra Modi ji. Main sipahi hoon Narendra Modi ji ka. With the help of the PM, I can bring development here within five years. I will make Wayanad a constituency like Varanasi or Ayodhya."
Surendran, who became the party state president in 2020, has found great support from the top brass of the party over the years. He was once described by Modi as the “bada fighter" in Kerala. He was one of the party’s leading faces against the Left government in the agitation against “bringing non-believer and anarchist women" into the Sabarimala temple.
Surendran has 227 cases against him related to the Sabarimala agitation, while his affidavit reveals he has as many 242 overall cases related to agitations and protests.
BL Santosh, national general secretary of the BJP, hailed him as a “nationalist" recently on X: “It’s hard to be nationalists in some parts of Bharath . It’s everyday struggle . But it’s worth the struggle . Form C7 of Sri @surendranbjp , WAYANAD candidate .One person … Hundreds of cases."
Surendran has the added responsibility of shouldering BJP’s Mission South. The party has publicly set a target of ‘400 paar’ this time and will have to make rapid, unprecedented gains in southern states for to achieve it. Not many believe this is possible in states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu. But Surendran is confident.
“Wait to see what’s happening in Kerala. The aspiration of the public, the enthusiasm, the affection towards Modi ji is growing day by day. In many constituencies, we are in winning position. Last time, we gave a tough fight in five constituencies. This time, the PM has set a target of double digits," he said, adding, “In 2019, the impression was that ‘Modi magic’ is a one-time thing. That Rahul Gandhi will be the PM. That the PM will be from Wayanad and Kerala. Today, the Congress is talking about whether they can get 40 seats. Our target is 400 paar…Keralites know Modi is coming again. The agenda in Kerala now is ‘Modi guarantee’. We are confident that we will get MPs in double digits from Kerala."
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