Following their Easter diplomacy, BJP leaders hosted Christian clergy for breakfast on the day of the Vishu festival. The breakfast included former union minister and BJP’s Kerala in-charge, Prakash Javadekar, BJP’s Thiruvananthapuram district president, V V Rajesh, and invited representatives of the Syro Malankara Church, Father Varkey Attupuram, and Father Joseph Venmanath, at Rajesh’s house.
Javadekar clarified that the BJP was not playing vote-bank politics, saying, ‘This is a part of the series of meetings launched by the Prime Minister extending love to all sections of the people.’ He also mentioned that the BJP would soon be visiting the homes of people following Islam as well.
Javadekar praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and said, ‘India will become stronger under the Prime Minister. It is he who initiated events such as ‘sneha yatra’ and ‘sneha samvadam’ across the country. India is one country and one people. Narendra Modi has set the goal of ‘Amritkaal’ for turning India into a developed nation. It is Narendra Modi who has ensured peace and prosperity in the country.’
Javadekar spoke about the purpose of the breakfast, saying, ‘Father Attupuram and Father Joseph joined us for breakfast at Rajesh’s house today. We all celebrate Christmas every year. This time, we visited several houses extending greetings on Easter. Today, our party functionaries have invited their Christian and Muslim friends and neighbors home. This is the real India. This is also what BJP envisages for the country.’
Despite criticism from the Left Democratic Front and the United Democratic Front, the BJP leaders continued with their outreach programs on Vishu day.