T Satisan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his last visit to Kerala, on May 11, in connection with the campaigns for the Assembly polls unleashed sharp attacks against both Congress-led ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) and CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF). He launched his heavy blitzkrieg while addressing a massive rally in Tripunithura, Kochi, where BJP’s scholar candidate Prof Thuravoor Vishwambharan is pitted in a direct fight against Excise Minister K Babu who was recently in the news for the corruption charges in connection with the Bar Scandal. Union Minister Rajeev Pratap Rudy said that it was the largest ever BJP election rally held in the State.
PM Modi said, “BJP rule at the centre leads the country to developments in all spheres. Let the critics of BJP evaluate the performance of the governments in the states during last 50 years. BJP ruled states are presiding the developments. They do have perennial power supply round-the-clock. They do have developments in industry, employment opportunities, agriculture, education, etc. More schools and colleges come up there. CPM ruled states undergo harthals (Strike) after harthals. Poverty and violence are the important characteristics there.”
PM started the speech saying that he had got some good news for the people and the state. Nurses held in Libya would be brought to Kochi the next day, May 12. We succeeded in bringing our fishermen (6 Keralites and 2 Tamilians), held in Sri Lankan jail for life, which had just been relieved from the capital punishment, to Kochi the next day, May 12. The government could bring 39 nurses back home from the civil war-torn Yemen.
“Keralites are educated and knowledgeable. So, they should realise how Congress and CPM cheated them. They always help each other. They are fighting Bengal elections as a single front. In the past, whenever Congress faced troubles, Communists helped them out. In Kerala, they pretend to be opponents! Here they looted the state for five years, turn by turn”, stated PM Modi.
While addressing the vibrant crowd, PM said that the last local self-governing body election gave good results to the party. Therefore, both LDF and UDF are scared of us. Now, we have to enter the Kerala Assembly for serving the people of the state. Youths of Kerala go to other states and abroad for winning their bread, all due to the wrong policies of the Left and the Right. Our economy is powerful; we should be able to manage our economy and make this a dynamic one. Keralites’ vote should be cast for the state’s development.
He concluded his speech with a Malayalam slogan: “Naam onnaakanam, naadu nannaakanam” (we should unite, country should prosper).
Thushar Vellappally, the chairman of the BDJS, the NDA partner, asked what right LDF and UDF do have to talk about communalism since they have been appeasing the minority communalism always.
During the same capital city speech, Modi referred to the infamous Agusta Westland scam. While addressing a huge rally in Kasaragod early this month PM attacked CPM’s politics of violence. He grabbed the hand of veteran RSS leader Sadanandan Master, the BJP candidate in Koothuparamba constituency of Kannur and presented him as the living martyr whose both legs were chopped off by the CPM criminals in 1994 while he was the Zilla Sahkaryavah of RSS.
