BJP won UP through communal hatred and money power: Pinarayi Vijayan

Hyderabad, Mar 19: Alleging the BJP won the Uttar Pradesh polls by "spreading communal hatred and using money power", the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked the "democratic forces" to join hands to defeat communalism. "It is imperative to bust the myth that the BJP and Sangh Parivar are undefeatable.

In the wake of the results of current assembly elections, many are expressing the opinion that they cannot be defeated. However, I do not think that it is true," Vijayan said addressing a public meeting here this evening.

The meeting was organised to mark the culmination of 'Maha Padayatra' led by the CPI(M) Telangana unit Secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram. The veteran CPI (M) leader alleged that the BJP used undemocratic means to form governments in Goa and Manipur despite having lost the polls. "In Punjab, they won only three seats. The peoples' mandate was clearly not in their favour, but this manipulation was done," he said.

Vijayan said the BJP's vote share in UP in the 2014 general elections stood at 42.3 per cent whereas in recent Assembly polls in the northern state the party's vote share was 39.7 per cent. "Those who are saying that the BJP has won a stellar victory are conveniently overlooking the fact that more than 60 per cent of the people in UP have voted against the BJP," the Kerala CM said. He said the BJP won by "spreading communal hatred, through heavy injection of money and concentration of entire machinery of the Central government in Uttar Pradesh."

"Opposition was not united against the right wing in UP. We should not be led to believe that this victory is here to stay. In the fight against communalism people will win," he said. Targetting the Congress, Vijayan said the national party did not stake claim to form the governments in Manipur and Goa despite emerging as the single largest party.

"There are several examples of the Congress leaders joining the BJP, including SM Krishna (in Karnataka) and Rita Joshi (in UP). "Even historically there are a plenty of instances where the Congress has been soft on communalism. Thus they have lost their identity and those who once used to call themselves as the guardian of secularism are not even a force to reckon with now," he said.

Vijayan said the Congress was no more a credible ally in fight against communal politics. "It is clear that time has come for all democratic and progressive forces to come together to defeat communalism and neo-liberalism which are the bedrocks of all injustice, inequality and misery that exists in our society today," the CM said.

PTI