BJP may eye Christian votes with Sabarimala airport

After the surprise announcement of allotting a Vande Bharat express train service in Kerala, the BJP is likely to cash in on the site clearance by the aviation ministry for the proposed Sabarimala Greenfield Airport project.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed the ministry of civil aviation’s decision to give site clearance for the airport coming up on around 2,250 acres in Cheruvally, which is about 50 kilometre from the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.

“Great news for tourism and especially spiritual tourism,’ Modi tweeted by sharing the Civil Aviation Ministry’s tweet on granting site clearance for the project.

The proposed site for the airport is in Kottayam district, close to Pathanamthitta. It is a Christian-dominated region, mainly of NRIs. Hence the BJP is likely to make use of the Centre’s site clearance for the fifth international airport in Kerala in its efforts to make inroads into the Christian vote banks.

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Earlier, the Director General of Civil Aviation objected to the setting up of a greenfield airport close to Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi international airports. These two airports are only 110 and 88 kilometres respectively, from the proposed site for the Sabarimala airport. As per greenfield airport policy, greenfield airports should be 150 kilometre away from existing international airports.

However, the state pushed for the new airport to be developed in a public-private partnership model by highlighting the high turnout of pilgrims at Sabarimala, the large NRI population in the area, and proximity to well-known tourist destinations.

Modi, who is scheduled to visit Kerala on April 25, will launch the Vande Bharat train service between Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur and certain stretches of the national highway under construction.

Modi, who will also interact with youth in Kochi, is likely to highlight the major infrastructure investments of the Centre in the state as well as clearance to the Sabarimala airport.

Meanwhile, BJP Kerala state president K Surendran said that around 80 families from minority communities of the Kottayam district joined the BJP on Tuesday.

He also said that after Modi’s visit, more people would join the party, and a membership campaign would also be initiated.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla called on Syro-Malabar Church major archbishop Cardinal Mar George Alencherry in Kochi on Tuesday and later told reporters that Christians were safe in the country.