Modi questions Rahul, assures protection to faith

In an attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi, without naming him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Kerala on Friday that some leaders have come down to Kerala to contest election not with the intention of serving the people here, but to save themselves.

He also reiterated that the BJP would ensure constitutional protection to belief and faiths, but did not name Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, may be due to the restrictions imposed by the Election Commission on the use of the Sabarimala issue for seeking votes.

Addressing a large gathering of NDA workers at Kozhikode in North Kerala, the Prime Minister said that the voters should be beware of those who came down to contest as their intention was not to serve the people, but to save themselves. The voters here should ask them about their performance in the constituency they were representing so far. Though Modi did not specify any name, it was an obvious reference to Congress president Rahul Gandhi who is contesting from Wayanad, which is adjacent to Kozhikode.

Modi alleged that the CPM-led Left front was trying to destroy the ages-old traditions and the Congress-led UDF was maintaining a farce stand. The BJP will not allow any attempts to destroy the faith and beliefs using force. Hundreds of innocent devotees who wanted to protect tradition and faith were suppressed using lathis, he said.

Modi also said the Left front in Kerala would suffer the fate of the Left Front in Tripura. The people of Tripura voted for BJP owing to their trust in us. The Congress-led UDF and the Left front had been looting Kerala over these years, he alleged.