Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Tuesday that the Opposition convinced it won't win the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, resorts to abusing him as it allegedly lacks a roadmap for the nation's progress while addressing a public meeting right after announcing four astronauts India will use in its maiden human space flight programme.
Modi was speaking at the conclusion ceremony of the BJP state unit's padayatra at the Central Stadium here. "Kerala's identity has a wide range from 'Tourism to Talent'. Congress' partners have tried to transform this identity into 'Scams and Anarchy'. Kerala is known for its hospitality, but the government here has created a hostile environment for the new industries, making them reluctant to come here. As a result, there are fewer employment opportunities here," Modi said.
"Be it Congress or Communists, in Kerala, only the government changes, not the conditions. This Lok Sabha elections will be a chance for Kerala to change the conditions too," he claimed.
He urged Kerala's people to bless the saffron party with seats in double digits in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He further said the BJP never sees a state from the perspective of vote-bank. Modi claimed that over the last 10 years, Kerala has benefited from development like other BJP-ruled states.
He said it was his guarantee to make all possible efforts to realise the dreams and expectations of the people of Kerala. The PM said it was 'Modiyude guarantee' (Modi's guarantee) to make India the third largest economy in the world as well as eradicate poverty and corruption from the country.
The Prime Minister further said the Congress accused the Communist Chief Minister (Pinarayi Vijayan) of being involved in corruption and scams and termed the Left government as fascist.
"The Communists in response, lathi-charged the Congress workers and termed their previous administrations as being involved in various scams. However, outside Kerala, at the INDI alliance meetings, they sit together, eat samosas and biscuits, and have tea," the PM said, pointing out the incongruity.
"So in Thiruvananthapuram, they say one thing and in Delhi, they say something else. The people of Kerala will answer this betrayal in the coming Lok Sabha polls," added Prime Minister Modi.
Attacking the Congress, Modi, in an apparent reference to the Gandhi family, said the track record of the grand old party shows how it managed to keep the country under the control of one family for decades. "For them (Congress) the interests of that family are above that of all the other families in the country," he alleged, adding that the Communists were now showing the same colours.
In a veiled reference to Rahul Gandhi, who represents Wayanad seat in Lok Sabha, Modi also said that the Communists were advising the Congress to keep its 'Yuvraj' (prince) out of Kerala.
Apparently responding to Kerala's CPI(M)-led Left government's allegations that the state was discriminated against by the Centre, Modi said the BJP has never seen any Indian state from the perspective of a vote bank.
"Even when the BJP was not strong in Kerala, even then we worked day in and day out to empower Kerala. Over the past 10 years, the benefits of development have been reaped by Kerala as much as by the BJP-ruled states," the Prime Minister said.
He also said despite the "constant non-cooperation by the state government, Kerala has still remained our priority."
Recounting the steps taken by the Centre for the development of Kerala, Modi said the BJP government connected the world with India's traditional knowledge of Ayurveda.
"40,000 farmers of Kerala have received direct financial assistance through the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, and over 50 lakh MUDRA loans have been disbursed in the state to help young entrepreneurs," he added.
According to the Prime Minister, what is going to happen a few months later is not a secret anymore. "In 2019, the talk of the town was 'Fir Ek Baar, Modi Sarkaar'; In 2024, the talk of the town was 'Abki Baar, 400 Paar'," he added.
The Prime Minister also said everyone is talking about the third term of the Modi government. "In our third term, India is set to become the world's third-largest economy. This is 'Modi Ki Guarantee'. In our third term, our fight against corruption is going to be more defined," he added.
Alleging that the LDF and the UDF rule did not do anything for the education system in Kerala, Modi said everyone knows about the struggle faced by the students of the poor and the middle class of the state while pursuing higher education.
"Our third term will work on the development of educational institutions in Kerala. This will pave the way for opportunities for students hailing from poor and middle-class families," he said.
"We live by one mantra 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas'. For us, every community, caste, and region is important. We have worked for the progress of every citizen. In our third term too, we will work with the same intentions," Prime Minister Modi concluded.
