Onam feast awaits PM at BJP’s Kerala meet from September 23

The “grand traditional feast” Onasadhya awaits BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the coastal city of Kozhikode in Kerala. Onasadhya is the grand feast served during the celebration of Onam and is served on a banana leaf. Onam, the biggest festival of Kerala and Malyalies, was celebrated earlier this week.

BJP’s national council meeting is scheduled from September 23-25 in Kozhikode. The meet will be dedicated to party’s ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay, whose birth anniversary is on September 25 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to launch a year-long exercise dedicated to him.

BJP has engaged P. Mohanan Namboodri, the “master chef” of state’s youth festivals, to prepare this feast, which would have around 15 dishes including avial, parippu, thoran and also three varieties of payasam. Interestingly, preparing Onasadhya is also part of the legend related to King Mahabali, who was banished to the netherland by Lord Vishnu’s avatar Vamana. Both the BJP and the RSS had to face criticism after an article in RSS mouthpiece had questioned the legend. What added fuel to the fire was a tweet by BJP president Amit Shah wishing “Vaman Jayanti” a day ahead of Thiruvonam. However, he also wished on Onam a day later.

Though BJP national council will meet on September 25, ahead of that party’s national office bearers, state unit chiefs and organisational general secretraies will meet on September 23 and 24. The Prime Minister will also address a rally on September 24 at the Kozhikode beach. During the national council, Mr Modi is also likely to announce Garib Kalyan programmes and a year-long exercise dedicated to Upadhayay. Mr Modi is expected to reach Kozhikode on September 24. A section of the venue, Swapna Nagari, where the party’s 2000 delegates will stay, will be named after the party ideologue.

Kozhikode was chosen as the venue for this national council meeting as Upadhyaya was elected the Jan Sangh president at the party’s conclave here in December 1967. Bhartiya Jana Sangh was the precursor of the BJP.