Kerala will follow Goa, NE and vote for BJP: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed confidence that Kerala would follow the lead of Goa and the Northeast and vote the BJP to power in the state, which has proven to be a tough nut to crack for the saffron party.

Modi’s mention of Goa and the Northeast, two places with a large Christian population, is a signal to Kerala’s influential Christian community, which the BJP has been courting assiduously to get a toehold in the state.

“Whether it is Goa or the Northeast, people have welcomed the BJP owing to the work the party had done irrespective of religion,” Modi said at the ‘Yuvam 2023’ summit in Kochi on the first day of his visit to the state. “People of Kerala will also welcome the BJP in the coming days,” he added.

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Modi was greeted by boisterous BJP workers and supporters who showered flowers on him during the roadshow before the summit, as he walked clad in a Kerala-style dhoti.

Modi also held talks with heads of prominent churches of Kerala as part of the party’s outreach. BJP state president K Surendran said that development issues were discussed.

Eight heads of churches were learnt to have attended the meeting in which issues such as fall in the price of commodities like rubber were also discussed.

Slamming the Congress and the CPM who have been ruling Kerala over the years, Modi said that while one party considered family’s interest paramount to that of the people, another one put the party’s interests above the people.

This, Modi said, cost the youth as they lost job opportunities due to lack of development.

Modi said his government at the Centre has been giving a massive push to infrastructure in Kerala, which would lead to development and job generation in the state.

“BJP wishes that the youths of Kerala take the lead in various sectors like digital India, Artificial Intelligence, science and even sports. Potential of Kerala in sectors like Ayurveda, traditional medicines and tourism should be tapped. Let the youth lead. I will be with you,” Modi told youth at the summit held at the Sacred Heart College.

Modi will be flagging-off Vande Bharat train service between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod and Kochi water metro service and inaugurate various development projects on Tuesday.