Thiruvananthapuram | The BJP on Saturday urged the new government in Kerala not to introduce religion-based reservation “under the guise of OBC quota” and called for safeguarding benefits for OBCs, SCs, STs, and economically weaker sections.

A political resolution passed at the BJP state leadership meeting here also urged the new government to implement centrally sponsored welfare schemes aimed at helping poor people and warned that support from the Centre would depend on whether the administration remained transparent and free of corruption.

The resolution said schemes such as PM SHRI, Ayushman Bharat, and PM Awas Yojana were intended to address the education, healthcare, and housing needs of ordinary people.

“Religion-based reservation implemented under the guise of OBC reservation should be completely abolished. The reservation policy should be limited only to OBC, SC/ST, and EWS categories,” the resolution said.

It urged the new government to “set aside political considerations” and implement the schemes in the public interest.

The BJP also described its performance in the recent Assembly election as a “historic achievement”, saying its victory in three seats showed that the party had emerged as a third political force in the state, apart from the LDF and UDF.

It also sought strict action against those accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case and called for efforts to free Kerala’s youth from “religious extremist organisations and drug abuse”.

Addressing the meeting, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged that the leadership decision in the Congress had been influenced by the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Indian Union Muslim League.

“The chief ministerial candidate in the Congress was decided by Jamaat-e-Islami and the Muslim League,” he said, referring to Congress leader V D Satheesan’s nomination for the top post.

He also accused the Congress of corruption and alleged that the new government under Satheesan would follow the same path as the former UPA government at the Centre.

“Wherever the Congress exists, there is corruption. The kind of corrupt governance seen in Karnataka will be witnessed here as well,” he claimed.

Chandrasekhar said the BJP would strongly oppose the government both inside and outside the Assembly, adding that the party’s electoral gains had disproved the belief that it could not win in Kerala.

“The mistaken perception that the BJP is not a winning party has now been corrected,” the BJP state chief said, referring to the victories of himself and two others, V Muraleedharan and B B Gopakumar.

He also said the party would not allow backward-class reservations to be converted into religion-based reservations.

Speaking after the meeting, BJP state general secretary M T Ramesh said the NDA would function as a “true people’s opposition” in the state.

“It is the BJP’s responsibility to raise major political and livelihood issues of the people in the Assembly,” he said.

Ramesh said the election results showed that people had accepted a third alternative to both the LDF and UDF.

He noted that the NDA had won three Assembly seats, finished second in six constituencies, and secured around 30 lakh votes across the state.

“It is a huge responsibility to reflect the voice of around 30 lakh voters in the Assembly,” he added.

Union Minister George Kurian, former BJP state presidents Kummanam Rajasekharan, V Muraleedharan, P K Krishnadas, and K Surendran, along with several senior leaders, attended the meeting.