Thiruvananthapuram: Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Kerala close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on September 2 has accorded a new sense of direction to the Keralites in general and BJP workers in particular. Party workers accorded him a vivacious and enthusiastic reception on arrival at Thiruvananthapuram airport on September 2 evening. The reception was spiced with local art forms like Theyyam, Kavatiyattam and so on.
On September 3, Home Minister participated in the Southern Zonal Council Conference in Thiruvananthapuram. Chief Ministers and ministers of South Bharath states including Pondicherry and bureaucrats from Lakshadweep and Andaman Nicobar participated.
Then Amit Shah addressed the Dalit social workers at Thiruvananthapuram. More than thousand Dalit workers participated in the programme organised by BJP’s SC Morcha. Earlier Home Minister paid floral tributes before the pictures of Dr. Ambedkkar and Mahatma Ayyankali.
Home Minister, in his speech, referred to Padmasree Kunjol Master and expressed pride in sharing the dais with such a noble personality. HM extended Onam greetings to all. He said, he was extremely happy to stand on the soil of Sree Padmanabha Swamy as well as Mahatma Ayyankali. He told about the proud of programme of yesterday when PM Modiji commissioned Bharat Navy’s prestigious aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and the new Navy Flag sans the colonial St. George symbols. The new flag carries our tricolour and national symbol which PM dedicated to Chathrapathi Shivaji.
Home Minister extended his regards to the party workers in Kerala. He said, people work for BJP in other parts of the country due to patriotism. But, here in Kerala it is not enough, here workers need to be extremely bold to be a balidani. Hundreds of workers lost their life. But, no proper police action. But, it is sure, lotus will bloom here soon. Congress fades from the people’s thoughts day by day. They are discarding Congress fast throughout the country. Communism and Marxism have been abandoned by the whole world.
Modi government provides maximum possible benefits to Dalits. Modiji takes all steps for the sake of Dalits and all sidelined sections of the society. He asked Congress how many Dalit ministers had been inducted in the central council of ministers during their decades long rule. Modiji’s council of ministers consists of twelve Dalit ministers. When Modiji came to power, a prominent Dalit leader like Ramnath Kovind took over as our Rashtrapathi. Droupthi Murmu, a senior woman leader from Vanvasi community, succeeded him. That is the prominence our government gives to the weaker sections of the society.
It is the PM’s ardent wish to raise the sidelined sections to higher esteems. Communists and Congress do not do anything for Dalits. He said that 50 % of the Rs 10 lakhs crores Mudra loans gotes to SC & ST sections. 50 % of Ujjwala Yojna is availed by Dalit women. 5 crore Dalits got toilets under Swach Bharat scheme. Out of two crore and 60 lakhs houses Dalits got 1 crore and 11 lakhs houses under Pradhan Manthri Avaz Yojna. Eleven crore farmers get Kissan Samman of Rs 6,000 each.
Shah asked Congress what did prevent them from conferring Bharat Ratna on Dr Ambedkar. (It happened during V.P. Singh’s regime, thanks to the efforts of Vajpayeeji and Advaniji). Modi government declared November 26 as the Constitution Day to commemorate November 26, 1959, the day of last session of the Constituent Assembly.
Home Minister referred to the union government’s endeavours to fight terrorism, cross border terrorism and surgical strikes we engineered.
State BJP president K. Surendran presided. C.P. Radhakrishnan (national BJP leader from Tamil Nadu and Prabhari for Kerala), national vice president Abdullakkutty, Padmashree Kunjol Master (prominent Hindu leader from Dalit commuity), Kerala Pulaya Maha Sabha president Dr. P.P. Bava, undisputed Vanvasi leader C.K. Janu, BJP leader and former Missoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan and many other BJP leaders were present during the occasion. Surendran said that monetary benefits allocated by the Modi government for the Kerala Dalits are exploited by the LDF government in Kerala. He presented Onakkodi to the Home Minister. Onakkodi is a custom in Kerala to gift new clothes to the close relations during Onam.
Mothers of Madhu, the Dalit youth lynched in Attapadi, Palakkad, on February 22, 2018 and “Valayar Sisters” who were allegedly killed and hanged at Valayar, Palakkkad in January and March, 2017, submitted memorandums before the Home Minister praying for the necessary steps to ensure justice to their children.
