Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) chief PC George merged his party with the BJP on Wednesday. Mr George along with his son Shaun and other Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) leaders joined the BJP in Delhi in the presence of the saffron party's in-charge for political affairs in Kerala Prakash Javadekar and other senior leaders.
"We are very delighted to welcome Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) leaders P C George, Shaun George and George Joseph," Mr Javadekar said at a joint press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. Mr George, BJP national secretary Anil Antony and Union minister V Muraleedharan were also present at the press conference.
#WATCH | On Kerala MLA PC George merging his party Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) with BJP, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekar says, "...Because he has confidence in PM Modi he has agreed to merge his party with BJP in Kerala. He is confident that working within the BJP he will… pic.twitter.com/tu5O0eC0yC
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2024
Mr Javadekar described Mr George as "a fiery speaker and a great catholic diocese leader".
"We will win a minimum of five (Lok Sabha) seats in Kerala. That's the difference we are going to make in Kerala politics," the BJP leader said.
A big rally will be held in Kerala. The first meeting of BJP leaders, including those of the now-merged Kerala Janapaksham (Secular), will also be held in the state, Mr Javadekar said.
"This is just the beginning. Much more will follow in the coming days," he added.
The BJP leader also attacked the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala, saying it has lost its credibility due to crime and corruption in the state.
"This is not the 2019 (Lok Sabha) elections when people in Kerala believed that Rahul Gandhi would become the prime minister. Now you ask anybody in Kerala, everybody says Narendra Modi would be the prime minister," Mr Javadekar said.
"That's a change. They (LDF) have lost their credibility... The UDF is confusion, contradictions and a rudderless combination," he said.
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also welcomed Mr George and said, "We will work together with PM Narendra Modi ji to transform Kerala's economy and politics."
Speaking at the press conference, Mr George said Kerala is witnessing an "agrarian crisis" under the LDF rule and farmers are committing suicides. In such a situation, Mr George said, he had no other choice but to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transform the state.
"The prime minister and the Union government's intervention is absolutely required to get the farmers out of the debt crisis. I have already requested the central government for support. And the central government has been very sympathetic, empathetic and supportive of our request," he said.
Mr George asserted that the BJP will win at least five Lok Sabha seats in Kerala in the upcoming elections and emerge as a leading political player in the state.
"I also have no doubt that in the 2026 assembly polls (in Kerala), the BJP will be in a direct fight with both the CPI(M) and the Congress. In the coming years, the BJP will emerge as a leading political player in Kerala," he said.
Speaking at the press conference, BJP national secretary Anil Antony said the merger of the Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) with the BJP will contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to transform India into a developed country.
"Today, Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) led by P C George is merging with the BJP, showing full confidence in our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's vision to transform India into 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047," he said.
Welcoming Mr George into the BJP fold, BJP national secretary Antony said, "The merging of Janapaksham today will be the start of a historic trajectory in Kerala where the BJP will grow more and more, and contribute towards the prime minister's mission to transform India into a developed country."
A seven-time MLA, Mr George is "one of the stalwarts of Kerala politics", he said.
"He was also the chief whip of the UDF government in Kerala from 2011 to 2015 and is a very prominent member of the Roman Catholic community in Kerala," he added.
Union minister V Muraleedharan said the merger of Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) with the BJP shows that in Kerala, more and more people are getting convinced that a stable government that can develop the country can only be formed by the BJP under the leadership of PM Modi.
The merger, he said, has also exposed the "malicious propaganda" that the BJP is anti-minority.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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