BJP to push Sabarimala gold theft narrative amid turmoil over suicide

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Seeking to regain control of the political narrative after the suicide death of Anand Kumar Thampi and another suicide bid by a BJP woman worker triggered criticism from the Congress and the Left, the BJP on Monday kicked off a statewide signature campaign demanding a detailed probe into the Sabarimala gold theft case and alleged irregularities in other temples. The campaign was launched at the Pazhavangadi temple in Thiruvananthapuram, with the party targeting to collect one crore signatures over the next few weeks. Party sources said bringing the Sabarimala issue back to the forefront is expected to provide a strong defensive shield against the Opposition, which has intensified attacks by linking both the suicide incidents to internal BJP factionalism and denial of election seats. Some senior leaders, however, maintained that the drive had been planned well in advance. The Sabarimala gold scam, development and unemployment are among our major agendas for this election. This campaign was scheduled earlier, and we started it from Thiruvananthapuram as part of our broader strategy, a senior BJP leader said. Another leader, however, admitted that the initiative would help counter what the party alleged were attempts by the Congress and the Left to divert the campaign away from development issues. It is unfortunate that a person took his life, but he was not a BJP worker. The Opposition is spreading deliberate misinformation. Hence, we have rolled out counter-strategies, including more campaigns centred on Sabarimala and development. They are using these tragedies as political weapons, and we will expose their cynical politics, the leader added. Meanwhile, the ground-level workers acknowledged that circulating photos of Anand participating in BJP events had created confusion among cadre.