Modi campaigns for Antony’s son in Kerala
‘BJP is encouraging the youth here. The BJP candidate from Pathanamthita is full zeal to serve you. The politics of Kerala need this kind of freshness’
Making a pitch for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged workers to aim for “doubledigit” seats in Kerala.
“The enthusiasm in Pathanamthita assures me that the Lotus (the BJP’S election symbol) will bloom in Kerala,” he said, addressing a massive rally in the hilly district.
“BJP is encouraging the youth here. BJP candidate from Pathanamthita, Anil K Antony, is full zeal to serve you (the public). The politics of Kerala need this kind of freshness.”
Antony, the son of former defence minister and senior Congress party leader AK Antony, is engaged here in a tight three-cornered fight.
Congress party’s Anto Antony is defending his seat for a fourth consecutive term while the ruling Communist Party of India-marxist (CPI-M) has fielded senior leader Thomas Isaac.
A survey by the ABP News predicted a clean sweep for the Congress-led United Democratic Front, with the LDF led by the CPI-M and the BJP drawing a blank.
Another survey commissioned by CNN-NEW 18 gives 14 seats to the UDF, four to the LDF and two to the BJP, which leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
However, the difference in vote share between the dominant fronts, UDF and LDF, is widening to an unprecedented 15 per cent if the surveys are to be believed.
“The culture of Kerala promotes peace, but UDF and LDF believe in political violence,” Modi said.
“LDF is known for looting through gold; UDF’S identity is from solar power loot. To stop this looting game, I have come here to seek your blessings.”
This is the fourth time the prime minister has visited the state in three months as part of his southern outreach.
He addressed a couple of rallies in Tamil Nadu before arriving in Kerala.
During his whirlwind tour, he will address similar rallies in Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Pathanamthita is one of the three seats the BJP is concentrating on to open its electoral account.
“Political parties that aim only to get power can never work for the welfare of people,” he said.
“LDF and UDF pretend to fight with each other here, but in Delhi, they hug each other. Congress and the Let have looted Kerala. The people of Kerala have understood this.”
In 2019, Anto Antony cornered 380,927 (37.11 per cent) votes as against CPI (M) candidate Veena George’s 336,684 (32.8 per cent) and 297,369 or 28.97 per cent polled by BJP’S K Surendran.
In that election, the UDF won all but one of the 20 seats from Kerala, leaving one to the CPI (M).
The Election Commission of India is expected to announce the dates on Saturday for staggered elections in April and May.
Modi also extended Easter greetings to the Christian-dominated constituency and reminded “the ideals of Jesus Christ.”
“The biggest festival of democracy is also about to begin. I am confident that Kerala’s affection for BJP will transform into a massive public support this time,” he said.
“All old records will break this time. Kerala will come out of the circle of LDF-UDF and give Modi the opportunity to serve Kerala the most.”
He promised: “Modi will leave no stone unturned for the development of Kerala.”
“In the last ten years, we have made all efforts for every category of people in every area as much as possible. We brought back nurses from Iraq who were stuck in a war,” he said.
“We brought back priests who were stuck amid a crisis. During Corona, Indians were brought back from every part of the world because wherever even one Indian was in trouble, our government stood with them strongly.”
In Kanniyakumari, he atacked the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its ally Congress, saying they “only know how to cheat and insult women.”
“The people of Tamil Nadu know how the DMK workers behaved with (the late chief minister) J Jayalalithaa,” he said.
“They do politics in the name of women. DMK leaders also questioned our move to bring the Women’s Reservation Bill.”