"In Kerala, Muslims, Christians have been made fearful of BJP...": Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], April 10 : Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the BJP's candidate for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, said on Wednesday that a false narrative was propagated against BJP generating fear among the people of Kerala but PM Modi during his ten year tenure proved it wrong.
Rajeev told ANI, "For many years, people have been poisoned that the BJP is a north Indian and a communal party. In Kerala, there are many Muslims and Christians and they have been made fearful of the BJP for several years. But the last 10 years of Narendra Modi ji have shown how every Indian, regardless of religion, gender and caste, has benefited from various programmes and schemes. People are beginning to pierce through the lies of Congress and the left."
Further, Chandrasekhar asserted that the Thiruvananthapuram seat should now be considered as where the VIPs will clash but it is a contest between two ideologies.
"I don't know why this is a VIP seat. I think most importantly, it amounts to a seat where there has been a sitting MP for 15 years and nothing has happened in the area. I am a candidate who is determined to bring progress, development, investment, and jobs to the people of Thiruvananthapuram. I don't see this as a clash of VIPs but rather a contest between two ideologies. One is Narendra Modi's politics of performance, moving the country forward and giving them more opportunities and on the other side is Congress, which has promised so many things in the last many years but has done nothing," he said.
The Union Minister of State also pointed out that there is concern among the people of Kerala and Thiruvananthapuram about law and order and an increase in extremism in some parts of the state.
"Recently, the CPM government even allowed the Hamas founder to address Muslim youths, which I opposed because our children, whether they are Muslims, Christians or Hindus, should never be radicalised. Mr Vijayan and Rahul Gandhi are in a race to prove to the Muslim community who is more anti-BJP. Pinarayai Vijayan is the head of the government, which is being told by the Supreme Court that they have mismanaged the economy and have not paid salaries to their employees. Rather than discussing real issues, classic old-type politicians like Vijayan will change the topic to communalism," Rajeev Chandrasekhar added.
It is noteworthy that the constituency of Thiruvananthapuram will go to the polls on April 26 during the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections. This constituency in Kerala is being closely watched due to a high-profile contest between the Congress' Shashi Tharoor and the BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
The Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held across seven phases, starting April 19. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.