Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana on Friday as part of a campaign blitz in the southern states ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Kickstarting the NDA’s election campaign in Kerala by addressing a rally in Pathanamthitta, Modi said the “lotus is going to bloom in Kerala this time”. The BJP has fielded Congress veteran A K Antony’s son, Anil Antony, from the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency.
Speaking at the event, Modi mounted a scathing attack on Kerala’s ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and Opposition Congress-led UDF. “Both LDF and UDF feign ignorance about the crisis being faced by rubber cultivators. The law-and-order situation in Kerala has collapsed. Campuses have become the dens of Communist goons. Even church priests in Kerala are not safe from violence. This situation will change only if the cycle of LDF and UDF is broken,” said the Prime Minister.
Expressing confidence about the BJP’s chances in Kerala, he said, “In the last elections, the people of Kerala gave us a double-digit vote percentage. This time, double-digit seats are not far away. The lotus is going to bloom in Kerala this time.”
The PM also took a dig at the INDIA bloc, which, at the national level, includes both the CPI(M) and the Congress. “They are pretending to fight in Kerala, but they cheat people by hugging each other in Delhi. The people of Kerala have realised this,” he said.
In bid to strike a chord with the sizable number of expatriates from the constituency, Modi recalled India’s trade pact with the UAE, his government’s repatriation of thousands of people from abroad during Covid-19, the release of Indian nurses who were held captive in Iraq, and the freeing of a priest who was held in extremists’ custody in Yemen. “Whenever and wherever an Indian is in any difficulty, the government will firmly stand beside them,” the PM said.
The rally was attended by senior BJP leaders K Surendran, V Muraleedharan and candidates of various constituencies in central Kerala. Continuing his campaign in Kerala, Modi will take part in a road show in Palakkad on March 19.
Later on Friday, Modi addressed a public rally in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari, where he targeted the DMK-Congress alliance for its alleged neglect and corruption, positioning the BJP as the harbinger of progress and cultural preservation in the state.
“Both DMK and Congress are against Tamil Nadu’s timeless traditions and culture,” Modi alleged, criticising the parties saying they supported the ban on Jallikattu – a traditional-bull taming sport. He said the BJP’s efforts were always to uphold local customs, including the reinstatement of Jallikattu, in Tamil Nadu.
The PM also pointed to the Golden Quadrangle project, initiated by former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee, as an example of the BJP’s commitment to infrastructure, blaming delays in the project to previous governments.
He noted that long-stalled projects like the Kanyakumari-Narikulam bridge and the Parvathipuram-Marthandam bridge have come to completion during his tenure. He also pointed to the Centre’s extensive investment in Tamil Nadu’s infrastructure, citing the sanctioning of funds for highway and railway projects.
The PM also brought up the plight of Tamil fishermen detained in Sri Lankan waters, a situation he claimed was rectified only after his government came to power through diplomatic channels.
On Friday evening, Modi arrived in Hyderabad, where he took out a roadshow as thousands of people lined the streets. The PM greeted them from an open-top vehicle in which he travelled from Begumpet to Viswesvaraiah’s statue at Khairatabad. Union minister and Telangana BJP chief G Kishan Reddy, who is also the party’s Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency candidate; Etela Rajender, Malkajgiri Lok Sabha candidate; and party leader K Laxman were among the many BJP leaders who accompanied Modi.
After spending the night at Raj Bhavan in the city, the PM will proceed to Nagarkurnool on Saturday morning and will address a public meeting there, followed by another at Jagtial.
On Sunday, he will visit Chilakaluripet in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district to address a public meeting. This would be Modi’s first address in Andhra Pradesh after the BJP joined the Telugu Desam Party-Jana Sena Party poll alliance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi being garlanded at a public meeting ahead of Lok Sabha elections, in Kanyakumari, Friday, March 15, 2024. (PTI Photo) 
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