NEW DELHI: Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) led by seven-time Kerala MLA PC George merged with Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
George along with his son Shaun and other Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) leaders joined BJP during an event organised at BJP headquarters in Delhi.
BJP Kerala ‘Prabhari’ Prakash Javdekar, Union ministers V Muraleedharan, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Agrawal and BJP national secretary Anil K Antony were present at the event.
Welcoming George into the BJP fold, MoS Muraleedharan said that this merger will strengthen the forces supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the parliamentary elections.
“Under his leadership, the merger of the Kerala Janapaksham into the BJP will strengthen the forces that support PM Modi in the coming elections. Kerala will have a major support group in support of PM Modi & BJP,” Muraleedharan said.
George hit out at the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala following his party’s merger with BJP. He alleged collusion between LDF and UDF in the southern state adding that Kerala can be “saved” only by aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“We have already joined the BJP. In Kerala, UDF and LDF are ruling. They are both doing mischief there. There is complete poverty. People are running off from there. About 85,000 people have gone abroad this year,” George said.
“To defeat the BJP candidate, the LDF will vote for UDF and UDF to LDF. This trade is going on. That is what happened last time in Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod. This has to be ended. Kerala can be saved only with the favour of PM Narendra Modi,” he added.
Speaking on the merger, BJP leader Anil Antony asserted confidence in the decisive growth of BJP in Kerala in the coming future.
“The merging of Janapaksham today is only the start. With time you will see more and more established political leaders and young politicians supporting the BJP. And in Kerala like every other state, you will see decisive growth of BJP,” Anil Antony said.
After the merger, PC George, son Shaun George along with other leaders of Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) and senior BJP leaders met BJP national president JP Nadda at his residence.
Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) was formed by PC George in 2019 after he was expelled from Kerala Congress (Secular).
Kerala Congress (Secular) was part of the Left Democratic Alliance (LDF) when George was expelled.
PC George is a seven-time MLA from Poonjar constituency in Kerala’s Kottayam district. He served as a member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly for 33 years. (ANI)