During his visit to Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Left Democratic Front (LDF) over betraying Kerala for “gold” the same way “Jesus Christ’s disciple betrayed him for silver leading to the Passion Week”. “Judas betrayed Jesus Christ for a few pieces of silver. LDF betrayed the people of Kerala for a few pieces of gold,” Modi said during a rally in Palakkad on Tuesday. He also said that the UDF even used solar energy for their corruption.
The Prime Minister is in the state to campaign for BJP’s Palakkad candidate E Sreedharan. “Metroman Sreedharan Ji, a man who has done excellent work to make India modern and improve connectivity. A man admired by all sections of the society has devoted his life to Kerala’s progress,” the Prime Minister said, calling Sreedharan a true son of Kerala.
Modi alleged that Left leaders behave like goons. “Left parties have been in power in the state many times. However, their leaders continue to behave like junior-level goons. Under them, political rivals are beaten, hacked, and killed,” Modi said, adding that a BJP government in Kerala will stop such violence.
Modi also went down the lane to allege an agreement between Congress and the Left. “For many years, the worst kept secret of Kerala politics is the friendly agreement between the UDF and LDF. Now, a first-time voter of Kerala is asking — what is this match-fixing? People are seeing how the UDF and LDF are misleading them,” the Prime Minister alleged. Modi also pointed out that in West Bengal, Congress and the Left are one. “They were partners in UPA- I in Delhi. The Left continues to give support to Congress on various issues, but in Kerala, they shout allegations against each other during elections,” he said.
The Prime Minister further alleged that the Left and Congress abuse the traditions and ethos of the land. “These parties are ashamed of the culture of our land. Their leaders abuse traditions and ethos. The LDF government should be ashamed of ordering lathi charge on innocent devotees. UDF should be ashamed of remaining silent when this was happening,” Modi said. The Prime Minister was hinting at the events during the Sabarimala protests when activists threw stones at the police during the Sabarimala crisis in 2018.
PM Modi said that it is time for “FAST” development in the state. “The time has come for FAST development in Kerala – F for fisheries and fertilisers, A for agriculture and Ayurveda, S for skill development and social justice, and T for tourism and technology,” he said. He also said that the two main fronts in Kerala have “not done much” for the Tourism sector. “Kerala and tourism have a close link. Sadly, the LDF and the UDF have not done much to improve tourism infrastructure here. We want technology to serve as a basis for growth,” the Prime Minister said.
He also claimed that the BJP government at the Centre honoured to increase the minimum selling price (MSP) for farmers. “Our government is undertaking many steps for the growth of agriculture and the welfare of farmers. For many years, many governments promised MSP hikes, but it was our government that has raised the MSP for farmers,” the Prime Minister said.
Meanwhile, E Sreedharan said that he has come with a “master plan” for the Palakkad constituency ahead of the Kerala election. “I’ve drawn up a master plan for this constituency which includes 24-hour water supply and efficient solid waste management scheme,” Sreedharan said, adding that he wants to provide green cover for the area by planting 25 lakh trees in the next five years.
