Thrissur (Kerala): A day after the BJP released its election manifesto with a slew of a promises, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that what was witnessed in the last decade of NDA rule was merely a trailer, asserting more was yet to be done for Kerala and the nation’s progress and solicited the support of the southern state for the BJP-led alliance in the Lok Sabha polls.
Addressing an election meeting organised by the NDA at nearby Kunnamkulam, Modi also attacked Rahul Gandhi, who is presently in Kerala to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, accusing the Congress leader of being unable to protect his family’s seat in Uttar Pradesh and being silent on the Karuvannur bank scam.
“What happened in the last 10 years was only a trailer; there is more to be done for Kerala and India,” Modi said.
He said it will be a year of progress in Kerala and referred to the various promises and development programmes mentioned in the BJP’s manifesto — called ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ — that was released on Sunday.
Without taking Rahul Gandhi’s name, Modi said the “Congress yuvaraj” (prince) was unable to protect his family’s pride by safeguarding their seat in Uttar Pradesh — a reference to the Amethi LS constituency which was a Congress bastion for years — and came to Kerala seeking votes.
The Congress leader will seek votes from the people of Kerala but will not raise his voice in their interests, as he was silent on the multi-crore scam in the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank controlled by the state’s ruling CPI(M), Modi said.
He also criticised the Congress over the support offered to it by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), for the Lok Sabha elections.
The PM alleged it was a “back-door agreement” between the Congress and the SDPI, which was the political wing of an organisation banned in India for anti-national activities.
He raked up the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank scam to attack the ruling CPI(M) in the state by accusing it of looting people’s money and lying to the public about it.
Modi claimed that it was he who initiated an Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the scam, and now he was taking legal advice on how the money of the depositors could be returned from the amounts seized by the agencies.
He assured that everything possible will be done to provide assistance to affected people and said that the BJP candidate from Alathur constituency, T N Sarasu, had recently brought to his attention the plight of those suffering as a result of depositing money in the cooperative bank.
Modi said that the Congress-led opposition UDF and the ruling LDF were hindering progress and development in the state.
“The Left has only one character, be it Tripura, West Bengal, or Kerala; nothing left and nothing right. Meaning, where the Left is in power, there is nothing left, and nothing good happens there.”
“What they did in West Bengal and Tripura, they are doing in Kerala also,” he alleged.
He criticised the Left Front in the state over the law and order situation in Kerala as well.
“Violence and anarchy are common in Kerala. Political murders are carried out here. College campuses have become dens of anti-social movements. Our children are not safe,” he alleged.
Modi, in his speech, also expressed confidence that Kerala will ensure its voice is heard in Parliament after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The PM also promised that once the NDA government comes back to power for the third time, it will commence survey work for ensuring bullet trains in north, east, and south India similar to the service between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
He said that a bullet train in south India will give impetus to development in the region and create thousands of job opportunities.
In the next five years, his government will work to make the heritage of Kerala more global by connecting it to the network of highways, expressways, and the network of Vande Bharat trains.
On the subject of Vande Bharat trains, he also referred to the interest shown by actor-politician Suresh Gopi, the BJP candidate from Thrissur LS constituency, in the same and how he would come up with various ideas and plans for it.
He assured that his government would work to implement these plans.
During his speech, he also blamed the Congress for allegedly creating a weak image of India in the world and said that the BJP has built the country into a strong nation.
Modi said that the coming elections will decide the future of the people and their children.
This is Modi’s sixth visit to the state. He had last come to Kerala on March 19 and held a massive road show in Palakkad district.
His Palakkad road show followed his participation at a public meeting in Pathanamthitta town on March 15, where he rallied support for NDA candidates contesting in the southern Kerala constituencies.
Prior to that, he had visited the state twice in January and once in February. These visits included both official and party functions.
Election to 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala will be held on April 26.
