Kerala Assembly polls: BJP candidate’s communal remarks trigger political row in Guruvayur

A “communal” pitch by National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate in Guruvayur and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice-president B. Gopalakrishnan has kicked up a political controversy in the constituency, with rival parties accusing him of making a calculated attempt to polarise voters ahead of the Assembly elections.

The row erupted after Mr. Gopalakrishnan, in a video shared on Facebook as part of his campaign, claimed that Guruvayur has not elected a Hindu MLA in the last 50 years and alleged that both the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) has deliberately denied representation to candidates from the Hindu community in the constituency.

In the video, he said “reclaiming the land of Guruvayurappan” is his responsibility. He further alleged that Guruvayurappan’s land had remained in the hands of “temple looters” and “betrayers of the temple” for decades, and claimed that despite Hindus constituting 48% in the constituency, the absence of a Hindu representative was no accident but a deliberate political design.

He ended the video with an appeal to drive out “temple looters” and “religious extremists” from the “sacred soil” of Guruvayur, remarks that quickly triggered intense debate on social media, with reactions sharply divided between support and condemnation.

Remarks condemned

Opposition parties said the remarks were a conscious attempt to inject communal polarisation into the campaign in a constituency known for its secular social fabric.

The CPI(M) Guruvayur Assembly constituency committee came down heavily on the BJP leader, saying his “hate speech” would find no takers in Guruvayur. C. Sumesh, secretary of the committee, said the remarks were a deliberate bid to undermine the region’s secular tradition and communal harmony.

He said the Sangh Parivar, which had no role in Guruvayur’s social reform struggles, was now attempting to posture as the defender of the temple town in a bid to mislead voters. Recalling the history of the Guruvayur temple-entry movement, he alleged that the Sangh Parivar had stood with conservative forces when that struggle was unfolding.

Mr. Sumesh also rejected the BJP’s development claims, saying the party had made no contribution to Guruvayur’s growth. He said major projects in the town, including the drinking water scheme and waste management initiatives, had either been implemented by the municipality and the State government or had taken shape before the BJP came to power at the Centre. Projects such as the Guruvayur flyover and the government guest house, he said, were realised with State government backing through KIIFB fund.

‘Election norms violated’

He said Mr. Gopalakrishnan’s speech had violated even the basic standards expected of a candidate in an election and asserted that Guruvayur, which has backed progressive political currents for decades, would firmly reject such divisive rhetoric.

Calling the remarks a violation of election norms meant to disrupt a free and fair poll, Mr. Sumesh said the LDF had decided to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission against the BJP candidate.