Hot Palakkad gives PM a big welcome

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday took out an impressive road show in Palakkad town – a constituency where the BJP hopes to win. The party governs the Palakkad municipality.

The rally was short and covered just one km in half an hour – from 10.45 am to 11.15. The show was held in the morning as Palakkad has been under yellow alert for the past few days, having recorded the highest temperature in the state. The roadshow commenced from Kottamaidan Anchuvilakku and proceeded towards the Head Post Office in the town.

Despite the building heat, at a sweltering 39 degrees, hundreds of BJP workers greeted Modi from both the sides of the heavily barricaded road. Standing atop an open vehicle bedecked with yellow and orange flowers, Modi waved back to the enthusiastic crowd and showered flowers and garlands on them. Shouts of 'Modi', 'Bharat mata ki jai', 'Modiji swagatam' and 'Modi ki jai' rent the air; people had gathered along the road hours earlier waiting for the Prime Minister.

Modi sported a saffron cap with some embroidery on it. The cap designed by the Gujarat wing of the BJP has become a big hit among the BJP leaders and workers and is being branded as Modi cap.

Accompanying him on the vehicle was Palakkad candidate C. Krishnakumar on his left and Ponnani candidate

Nivedita Subramanian on his right. BJP State president K. Surendran stood behind with two SPG guards.

There was a controversy as the party’s Malappuram candidate, M. Abdul Salam, did not find a place in the vehicle. He was dropped presumably because of the lack of space in the vehicle.

It was Modi’s second visit to Kerala within a week as part of the BJP’s Lok Sabha election campaign. He had addressed a BJP rally in Pathanamthitta on March 15.This is Modi's fifth visit to the state within three months.