BJP leader claims Muslim groups controlling Kerala's UDF government

K. Surendran, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Kerala unit, levelled accusations against the ruling UDF coalition on Thursday, claiming that the IUML has been dictating administrative and governance matters since the formation of the current government. The BJP leader asserted that key decisions affecting the state have been made under the influence of the Muslim League leadership from the very first day of the administration.

According to Surendran, the participation of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind in the government's functioning has further consolidated the alleged control of communal organisations over Kerala's governance structure. The allegations underscore the BJP's strategy of questioning the secular credentials of the ruling coalition as political competition intensifies in the state.

The UDF government, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's rival coalition, includes the Congress party as its principal constituent alongside the IUML and other smaller parties. The BJP's assertions target the political alliance's cohesion and decision-making processes.

These charges represent a continuation of the Hindu nationalist party's criticism of Kerala's ruling dispensation, with the BJP seeking to establish that communal interests rather than public welfare are driving governance in the southern state. The allegations are likely to feature prominently in the opposition's campaign narrative.