RSS working behind BJP's poll process, claims AK Antony

Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday claimed the RSS is working behind the election process for BJP and the saffron party has put up candidates as per the advice of the Sangh, even as the Congress leader said Narendra Modi becoming prime minister would be a "tragedy" for the country.

Tearing into the Sangh Parivar, Antony told a meet-the-press programme of the Thrissur Press Club that RSS has taken over the management and conduct of the elections as was done by them in 1977.

Asked about prospects of BJP coming to power and Modi becoming Prime Minister, Antony said chances for Modi becoming PM were very remote as there was no Modi wave as is publicised by "corporates".

If by any chance, Modi became Prime Minister, it would be a "tragedy" for the country and "lead to communal polarisation" besides affecting adversely national unity, he said.

The Union Minister claimed there was no popular public support for Modi, alleging that he has the support of some corporates as he had donated liberally land and property of the country to certain corporates in Gujarat.

Antony said BJP would not win even a single seat from Kerala no matter how many times Modi visited the State. Antony said he had toured half the districts of the state beginning from Kasargod and there was no Modi wave at all in the state.

Referring to the Revolutionary Marxist Party T P Chandrasekharan murder in 2012, he said it was 'high time' for that party to admit its mistake in the murder of Chandrasekkharan and apologise to the people. "It is the appropriate time for CPI-M to apologise for the cold-blooded murder of Chandrasekharan and correct its mistake."

"The presence of youth in the election campaigns of the LDF is very bleak despite the fact that there are 15 lakh new voters this time. If the party continued its policies of promotion of murder politics, CPI-M will have to face the fate of the communist parties in Europe, in India also," he said.

The perdition of the CPI-M movement in India would be imminent, if it continued such policies, he asserted.