Ights’ bring in Keralites from the Gulf
Over 30,000 voters from the Gulf have reached Kerala for the Lok Sabha polls as the in uence they exercise on other voters matters for political parties; several ights have been arranged from Saudi Arabia; the members of KMCC are holding roadshows in Mala
Hundreds of expatriate Keralites working in the Gulf countries have come home on a short visit to cast their votes. Thanks to the Kerala Muslim Cultural Committees (KMCC), the overseas cultural wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), several ights were chartered for voting purpose.
A dozen-odd ‘vote ights’ have been arranged from Saudi Arabia and other countries. Many have come home for an extended Id-ul-Fitr vacation. Many who did not get leave for a week or two are coming on Thursday evening.
The KMCC leaders said about 30,000 Keralites have reached home to vote in the Lok Sabha election. More than their votes, the inuence they exercise on other voters matters.
This time, dierent KMCC units in the Gulf are involved in the electoral campaign like never before. “The reason is obvious. As Indians working abroad, we know much better than our brothers and sisters at home how India and Indians are being perceived by the world. The world media have contempt for India and its government. The Arabs here, who used to respect Indians, have begun making fun of us. All because of the Narendra Modi government and its despotic policies,” said Aboobacker Arimbra, president of the Jeddah unit of KMCC.
Mr. Aboobacker said that although they had voted in the previous elections, this time they were involved in an intensive campaign. “We have devised a slogan: India should win, and democracy should be salvaged.”
K.P. Mohammed Kutty, chief patron of the Saudi Arabia national unit of the KMCC, said that expatriates were disappointed like never before for several reasons, including lack of government support for their pension and improper travel facilities. “Earlier, we had a Ministry at the Centre to handle the matters of expatriates. It is time to express our angst through voting,” he said.
Using the wide networks of the KMCC wings and their members, the organisation reached out to tens of thousands of people in Kerala and other
States. The Jeddah unit of the KMCC alone has 25,000 members. If other major units in Saudi Arabia like those in Riyadh and Dhamam come together, the number of voters being canvassed goes further up.
They have been campaigning for nearly two months. In the last phase of campaign, they took out an expatriates rally at Malappuram on Sunday, and started a roadshow from Chelari on Monday, which will conclude at Tirurangadi on Wednesday. On Tuesday, they held an expatriate family gathering in Malappuram. They are staging roadshows not only in Malappuram and Ponnani, but also in Wayanad.
Rainfall, temperature & air quality in select metros yesterday
TEMPERATURE DATA: IMD, POLLUTION DATA: CPCB, MAP: INSAT/IMD (TAKEN AT 18.00 HRS)
Forecast for Wednesday: Thunderstorm with lightning/gusty winds likely at isolated places over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, central Maharashtra, Kerala and Lakshadweep. Hot and humid weather likely to prevail over coastal Andhra Pradesh, coastal Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry