Given the chance, BJP will make Kerala number 1, says senior BJP leader Amit Shah

Attacking the Congress-led UDF and CPM-led LDF for being 'more focused on scams than the state's progress', Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday urged people to give the BJP a five-year chance to make the state number one in all sectors.

Shah was addressing a public event in Thiruvananthapuram which marked the culmination of the saffron party's statewide 'Vijay Yatra' march led by party state President K Surendran.

The Union Minister listed out the Centre's development initiatives for Kerala and said that the BJP aims at making a new Kerala that is self-reliant.

Shah also praised 88-year-old 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan, who recently joined the BJP, by highlighting the completion of the challenging Konkan rail project and his willingness to contribute for the development of the nation even at this age. He, however, did not make any remark projecting him as the party's chief minister candidate.

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The Union Home Minister strongly criticised the Pinarayi Vijayan government over its alleged links with the accused in the gold smuggling case even as he was silent on Vijayan's criticism against the central agencies. He asked Vijayan to clarify if his office was used by the smuggling accused and if the gold smuggling accused was appointed to a government agency based on fake documents.

Talking about the Sabarimala women's entry issue, Shah said that the BJP's opinion was that the management of the temple should be as per the wishes of the devotees and not that of the government.

He also flayed the state government over the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases and also said that it was due to its mismanagement that over 500 lives were lost in the flood and calamities.

Also read: No matter what you do, Kerala will not blame us: CM Vijayan attacks Centre over gold smuggling case

Shah even accused the Congress of not having any ideology as it was contesting against the CPM in Kerala but is an ally of the party in the other states.

Bringing up vote bank politics, Shah said that in Kerala and West Bengal, the Congress is in alliance with Muslim parties, while it is in alliance with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. The LDF and the UDF are engaged in tie-ups with communal outfits aiming at vote banks, he added.