The low-key response to the controversial Gujarat Chief Minister’s visit has come as a disappointment for the BJP, which had expected it to create ripples in the state. But despite the hype and hoopla, the visit failed to impact the Kerala political scene the way the BJP wanted it to be.

Of course, the visit, at the invitation of the Sivagiri Mutt, led to a big controversy. Political parties were sharply divided over it on ideological lines. The left parties, including the CPI(M), the CPI and the RSP were highly critical of the invitation to the BJP strongman. The visit at this stage would only exacerbate an already strained communal ambience in the state, the left leaders averred.

Expectedly, the visit was welcomed by community organizations like the Nair Service Society (NSS) and the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam(SNDP). Both NSS general secretary Sukumaran Nair and SNDP chief Vellappally Natesan defended the Sivagiri Mutt’s invitation to Modi. There was no objection to L K Advani’s visit to Sivagiri a few years ago. Why then this uproar over Modi’s visit, they asked.

A measure of the resentment the visit created can be gauged from the fact that leader of the opposition, V S Achuthanandan, who was originally scheduled to participate in the function, boycotted it with Modi confirming his acceptance of the Mutt’s invitation.

Even the Congress was wary of the BJP leader’s visit. KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala had a dig at the BJP as well as Modi. The visit would not create any impact on Kerala politics, commented Ramesh, who is crisscrossing the state on his Kerala yatra.

Modi himself must have been disappointed at the lukewarm response to his visit. His speech at the inauguration of the Sree Narayana Dharma Meemamsa Parishad betrayed his sense of dismay. While untouchability in the society could be eradicated thanks to the efforts of saints and social reformers, untouchability continued to exist in politics, lamented Modi.

The visit was significant considering that it was Modi’s first foray into the state amidst growing speculation that he would emerge as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. That way, it was a probing mission to test the mood of the Keralites to Modi’s candidature. The fact that the visit did not exactly take the state by storm has a few lessons for the BJP.

First and foremost: that Kerala continues to be Modi-wary if not Modi-hostile despite the concerted efforts, vigorously backed by a section of the media, to create a larger than life image of Modi. Second, Modi will have to do a lot of work to shake off his anti-Muslim image which he acquired in the wake of the riots in Gujarat. Unless and until Modi makes adequate amends by atoning for his crime against Gujarat Muslims - he has shown no signs of doing so - the BJP strongman cannot hope to make it to the top political job in the country. That is the unmistakable message delivered to him by the enlightened and secular voters of God’s Own Country.(IPA Service)