Thiruvananthapuram: At a meet the press held in the capital minutes before he was to formally take over as the BJP state president, Sreedharan Pillai uttered the battlecry for the 2021 Assembly elections with a raised fist: 'Yes we can.'

Here is why he says he is confident. “There will be a massive flow of votes from the CPM to the BJP,” he said. It was the victory of O Rajagopal from the Nemom constituency in the 2016 Assembly elections that led him to the conclusion. There was an increase of nearly 25,000 votes for the BJP in 2016 compared to 2011. “Over 9,000 of this came from the CPM, a cadre party that is supposed to have a well-oiled election machinery,” Pillai said.

The new president said his major focus would be to make the CPM voters aware of the advantages of being with the BJP. “We will go to the people, interact with them, and attempt to throw out the misconceptions that the CPM is spreading about us,” he said. Pillai said the CPM strategy was to sow fear in the minds of people by painting the BJP as anti-minority.

The new BJP state chief said the political atmosphere was such that the party could easily remove the apprehensions of voters. “People have voted for the BJP in large numbers even though they knew it would lose in the state. This shows our growing importance,” he said. As proof, he said that in 2014 there were two Lok Sabha constituencies in the state where the BJP had secured between 2 lakh and 2.60 lakh votes, and five constituencies where it had pocketed between 1.75 lakh to 2.60 lakh votes.

Self-detonating Congress

If one of Sreedharan Pillai's strategies was to woo the CPM rank and file, the other is to stand by and watch as the Congress self-destructs. “The Congressmen are a disgruntled lot, resignations have become a routine. I am sure many of them will join the BJP,” Pillai said. Even if these resentful Congress leaders went on to form new parties, he said the BJP stood to gain. “More such splinter parties will reduce the number of votes a big party would require to secure a win,” he said.

Pillai's strategy is clear: on the one hand the CPM base will shift to the BJP, and on the other, the Congress splinter groups will eat into the votes of the parent party.

Blanket welcome

Besides, like topping on the cake, Pillai also declared an 'open door' policy. “Our door is open to everyone,” he said. “This was why Vajpayee had once aligned with Sheikh Abdullah's party in Kashmir, and Akali Dal in Punjab,” he said.

Pillai said even in 2004 the BJP had the backing of the minorities. “Was it not the people of Kerala who elected two minority candidates who had the backing of the BJP in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls,” he asked. He was referring to the victories of Janata Dal (United) candidate P Pookunhi Koya from Lakshadweep and PC Thomas of the Indian Federal Democratic Party from Muvattupuzha.

When asked whether the party was willing to accept even scandal-tainted parties, Pillai, quoting Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, said: “Untouchability is a crime in politics.” He, however, refused to give a direct reply when asked whether talks were on with KM Mani. “Mani is in the UDF now. Let's see,” was all that he said.

Crack in the smile

At one point, Pillai stressed the need for freedom of speech. “All of us should be able to express our views freely, and without fear. This what the BJP stands for,” he said. If so, does he approve of the Sangh Parivar's response to S Hareesh's novel 'Meesha,' and also the vandalising of Shashi Tharoor's office in the capital?

Like any seasoned politician, he employed the art of circumlocution, or simply put, he beat about the bush. There was definitely no regret for what happened in both cases.

In the case of 'Meesha' he seemed to suggest that the death threats and the burning of the copies were justified because the magazine that had serialised the novel had not made a public apology. He did not say this directly. Instead, he said: “Earlier, even the Deshabhimani had carried a front page apology for writing offensive things about me,” he said.

As for the 'engine oil' treatment for Shashi Tharoor's 'Hindu Pakistan' remark and his attack on Sangh Pariwar stalwarts, Pillai said the Congress MP was trying to deviate attention from the court case against him related to the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. "He should have instead talked about Jinnah's attitude to Indian leaders," he said.