Amit Shah calls for a Kerala free of Congress, Communists

BJP national president Amit Shah on Friday called for a “Congress-free, communist-free Kerala” after launching a mass membership campaign aimed at preparing the party ahead of local body elections in the state next year.

Addressing a public meeting in Palakkad, Shah said the Kerala leadership would campaign to ensure party members in 35 lakh families in the state.

Shah, who is on his second visit to the state after taking over as BJP national president, urged the people of Kerala to look beyond the two coalitions led by the Congress and the CPM and join the national “mainstream”.

“Successive governments helmed by the Congress and the communists have sidelined Kerala’s issues. The BJP had a 11 per cent vote share in the Lok Sabha elections. We’ll ensure a strong fight in the upcoming local body elections,” Shah said.

Earlier in the day, the BJP president launched a mass party membership campaign. The BJP is yet to win an Assembly or Parliament seat in Kerala—a state that continues to switch loyalties between the two coalitions.