A recent episode of Let Me Explain by The News Minute, presented by Pooja Prasanna, has triggered sharp criticism over its central claim that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s limited electoral success in Kerala stems from the “ideological clarity” of the Left and the Congress.
The episode argues that the CPI(M) and the Congress, despite being rivals in the state, possess deeper ideological roots and organisational discipline, which together act as a firewall against the BJP. Critics, however, have questioned this framing, pointing out what they describe as a fundamental contradiction: the same Left and Congress that contest each other bitterly in Kerala are allies at the national level under the I.N.D.I bloc. According to critics, presenting this dual posture as “ideological clarity” ignores the evident political convenience of opposing each other locally while coordinating nationally wherever the BJP emerges as a challenger.
BJP, regardless of whether one supports or opposes it, has maintained a largely uniform ideological position across states, while the Left–Congress arrangement shifts according to electoral arithmetic. That flexibility may be strategic, but one cannot see how it qualifies as ideological consistency. In this reading, what is being presented as “ideological clarity” is actually tactical alignment dressed up as principle.
The TNM video downplays demographic and community factors. Kerala’s electoral outcomes cannot be explained primarily through claims of ideological superiority. They are shaped significantly by voting patterns rooted in religious demography. Sections of Muslim and Christian communities vote tactically to prevent BJP victories, irrespective of whether their immediate contest is with the Left or the Congress. From this perspective, the BJP’s struggles reflect consolidated opposition voting more than failures of persuasion.
Another issue is the timing of the episode. The video was released shortly before local body elections in Kerala, a moment when narratives can influence voter perception. After the results were declared and how BJP actually did well on the ground, there was no visible follow-up analysis or reassessment. This only highlights how the framing functioned more like pre-poll messaging than post-facto scrutiny.
TNM presents itself as a platform representing southern India’s perspectives, distinct from what it often characterises as northern or national media narratives. Selectively portraying Kerala’s politics as a triumph of ideological clarity, while overlooking alliances, demographic calculations, and national-level contradictions, severely undermines that claim of independence.
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