Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] were “best friends forever” in national politics while feigning as foes in Kerala.
Addressing a public rally marking the conclusion of Kerala BJP president K. Surendran’s Statewide campaign ‘Kerala Padayatra’ in Thiruvananthapuram on February 27 (Tuesday),
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] were “best friends forever” in national politics while feigning as foes in Kerala.
Addressing a public rally marking the conclusion of Kerala BJP president K. Surendran’s Statewide campaign ‘Kerala Padayatra’ in Thiruvananthapuram on February 27 (Tuesday),
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] were “best friends forever” in national politics while feigning as foes in Kerala.
Addressing a public rally marking the conclusion of Kerala BJP president K. Surendran’s Statewide campaign ‘Kerala Padayatra’ in Thiruvananthapuram on February 27 (Tuesday), Mr. Modi said the Congress and the CPI(M) have shadowboxed their way to power one after another in Kerala for decades.
Mr. Modi said the “Congress-Communist revolving door politics” was Kerala’s bane. He urged voters to see through the “elaborate political hoax” and vote for the BJP as a game-changing third alternative.
“The Congress says the Chief Minister (of Kerala) is corrupt and a fascist in Thiruvananthapuram. Both INDIA bloc allies confront each other on the streets in Kerala and accuse each other of political violence. However, as INDIA bloc allies in New Delhi, they speak a different language over tea and biscuits”, Mr Modi said.
Mr. Modi chided Communists for metamorphosising as “ambassadors for the Congress’ dynastic politics”. He said the CPI(M) had evolved as the subaltern part of an “entitled family” that sought political power.
“The Congress and Communists seek to sacrifice the national interest on the altar of the family’s political ambitions. They want the country to genuflect to the family”, Mr Modi said.
‘No disfavour’
Mr. Modi sought to dispel the CPI(M)‘s narrative that the Centre discriminated against Kerala and infringed on fiscal federalism.
“The BJP has not disfavoured any State ruled by a non-NDA disposition. Kerala has benefitted on the same scale as BJP-ruled States in terms of infrastructure development and Central government-sponsored projects despite the provincial government’s non-cooperation”, Mr Modi said.
He largely kept clear of dog-whistle issues such as the Ayodhya Ram Temple inauguration, Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) but touted the law banning triple talaq as a legislative achievement.
Mr. Modi also steered clear of repeating accusations of corruption against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, a central talking point of the BJP’s Kerala Padayatra campaign.
The Prime Minister talked about a third Narendra Modi government as a given. He said the INDIA bloc lacked a clear road map to India’s development. He stated that the third consecutive “Narendra Modi government” would make India the third largest economy in the world and spell an end to corruption.
‘Modi’s guarantee’ catchphrase
The Prime Minister repeatedly used a third-person form to address supporters and frequently dropped the BJP’s flagship campaign catchphrase “Modi’s guarantee”.
He assailed the Congress and the CPI(M) for running Kerala’s higher education sector to “ruin”. He promised to develop the State’s tourism potential.
Mr. Modi also lashed out at the “vote-bank politics” of the INDIA bloc. He said non-resident Indians, mostly Keralites, had gained new respect in Gulf countries owing to India’s growing international stature.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, Mr. Surendran, BJP leaders O. Rajagopal, P.C. George, Anil K. Antony, Suresh Gopi, and Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) president Thushar Vellappally were on the dais.
