KOCHI: Union Minister Suresh Gopi, the Malayalam actor-politician who created history for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by winning the first-ever Lok Sabha seat for the party from Kerala's Thrissur constituency, and was sworn in as the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Ministry of Tourism on June 12 referred to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as the "mother of India".

Speaking to reporters after visiting the memorial of K. Karunakaran 'Murali Mandiram' in Kerala's Punkunnam, Suresh Gopi expressed his view that while Indira Gandhi was "bharathathinte mathavu" (mother of India), Karunakaran was the "father of the Congress party in the state." He clarified that this designation was not meant to disrespect the founders or co-founders of the Congress party in Kerala but to honour Karunakaran's contributions.

The BJP leader also mentioned his close relationships with Karunakaran and his wife, Kalyanikutty Amma, similar to his ties with Nayanar and his wife, Sarada Teacher.

Gopi also revealed that he had wished to visit 'Murali Mandiram' in 2019, but Karunakaran's daughter, Padmaja Venugopal, who recently joined the BJP, had discouraged him for political reasons. During his visit to Thrissur, Gopi also visited the famous Lourde Mata Church and offered prayers. He mentioned that his political opponents had previously targeted him over his family's presentation of a golden crown to the idol of St. Mary during his daughter's marriage, falsely claiming it was made of copper instead of gold.