It came as a surprise for many when the BJP did not initially announce a candidate to contest from the Pathanamthitta constituency in Kerala for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, given the fact that the party had spearheaded a number of protests against the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple, located in the district.
But when they did finally announce a candidate, it wasn’t a surprise after all as K Surendran, one of the general secretaries of the party in Kerala, was also the face of the Sabarimala protests across the state.
TNM caught up with K Surendran, as he was campaigning in the Poonjar area to find out about his plans for the Pathanamthitta constituency.
“The main issues that we will be raising these elections will be regarding the development of this place and the faith of the people,” said K Surendran. He said that Pathanamthitta lags far behind when it comes to development, infrastructure and industrialisation.
As far as the Sabarimala issue is concerned, Surendran said that there are lakhs of people in this district that is dependent on the Sabarimala temple. “This is not just an issue for the Hindus. There are people from other faiths as well who depend on Sabarimala temple for their livelihood. The stand taken by LDF has affected people of all faiths,” he said.
When questioned about the Election Commission’s (EC) order against using the Sabarimala issue to gain votes, Surendran lashed out stating that the EC has no right to say so. “Nobody is using Sabarimala for votes. But there is also no problem is raising the Sabarimala issue,” he said.
The protests carried out by various right wing forces regarding the Sabarimala issue had turned violent in many parts of the state injuring several people and damaging public property. When asked if this will be a backlash for the BJP, Surendran replied, “The violence was unleashed by the police, not by the BJP or the RSS. They filed 240 cases against me in a single day. It is the government that will face the backlash regarding this, not us.”
Watch the full interview here: