A day after BJP Kerala Vice President B Gopalakrishnan was booked for making communal remarks in a campaign video, the party’s state President Rajeev Chandrasekhar has come forward to defend his colleague.
On March 20, in a video posted to his social media handles, Gopalakrishnan, who is the BJP candidate from Guruvayur, had exclaimed, “Neither the Left nor the Right have fielded a Hindu MLA. Guruvayur is an international pilgrim centre, yet why isn’t there a Hindu MLA?” He even went on to give himself a saviour’s persona, saying, “I have been summoned by Guruvayurappan to release his land from this half-century-long imprisonment under temple looters and temple opposers.” He was booked by the Guruvayur Temple police on March 22.
But Gopalakrishnan’s remarks did not constitute hate, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said. “What he said, in my understanding, is whether there shouldn’t be a Guruvayur MLA who is a believer, during this era of thefts in Sabarimala and Guruvayur. He is a candidate, what is wrong in his question? I don’t see how that is hate,” he justified.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar brought up an earlier remark made by KM Shaji of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). His statement that “religion, religion, religion is our issue, it is our identity” had sparked discussions, including in the state Assembly by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Referring to this, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “I do not believe that everything the BJP says is hate speech, but those who say ‘religion is the issue’ are secular? Both are issues that need to be discussed.”
Meanwhile, the last day for filing nominations for the Kerala Assembly elections is Monday, March 23. Reports say that the BJP may field a dummy candidate in Guruvayur in case Gopalakrishnan’s candidacy comes under question due to the police case against him.
Gopalakrishnan did not, however, refrain from making polarising statements even after the outrage that followed his March 20 video. “I will raise Hindu issues, and I don’t care if I face charges for that,” he claimed.
He has been booked under Section 123(3A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, along with provisions of the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct. Section 123(3A) says that the following shall be deemed as a corrupt practice: “The promotion of, or attempt to promote, feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of the citizens of India on grounds of religion, race, caste, community, or language, by a candidate or his agent or any other person with the consent of a candidate or his election agent for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of that candidate or for prejudicially affecting the election of any candidate.”