Congress will succumb to Jamaat’s demands, says Kerala BJP leader S. Suresh

Kerala is worried that the Congress will yield to the demands of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State general secretary S. Suresh has said.

Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday (May 12, 2026), Mr. Suresh said the Jamaat’s nod was needed to choose the Chief Minister, be it V.D. Satheesan, K.C. Venugopal or Ramesh Chennithala. It had been nine days since the United Democratic Front (UDF) emerged victorious in the Assembly elections in the State. Yet, the Congress had been unable to choose its Chief Minister candidate. The rift within the party had spilled onto the streets. This was an insult to all Malayalis, Mr. Suresh said, adding that the BJP had warned that a change in guard from the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to the UDF would serve no purpose.

The State was facing a number of challenges. There were concerns about availability of textbooks in the new academic year. School maintenance had gone off track and PM SHRI money seemed a lost cause. Rain-related communicable diseases were on the rise. There was infighting within the bureaucracy and officials. The inefficiency of the Congress had led to this crisis, Mr. Suresh said.

Referring to discussions within the Congress leadership on deciding the Chief Minister designate, Mr. Suresh alleged it was a search to decide who would toe the Jamaat’s line. The Jamaat agenda was that a man decided by it would become the Chief Minister. A Minister from Karnataka had visited Panakkad as part of this agenda. This would have grave consequences for Kerala, the BJP leader alleged.

Mr. Suresh said he would like to remind the Congress that it did not come to power on the strength of the votes of the Jamaat, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), or the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

The LDF too was not blameless. The Indian National League (INL) national secretary’s remarks about INL and LDF votes in Manjeswaram and Kasaragod going to the IUML at the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]’s behest to defeat the BJP candidates reflected the CPI(M)’s communal agenda, Mr. Suresh alleged.

If the change in government in the State did not benefit the people, the BJP would prepare to launch people’s protests against it, Mr. Suresh said.