Kerala lagging despite resources, LDF exit countdown has begun: Modi

PM Narendra Modi says Kerala is falling behind despite strong potential, blames LDF for slow development and predicts NDA will form government for the first time

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the countdown for the end of Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule in Kerala had begun in a no-holds-barred attack on the ruling party. Addressing a rally in Thiruvalla, he blamed the LDF government for the state’s “slow development” and said the state was lagging behind despite having immense possibilities.

 

“Our Kerala has been endowed by God with immense possibilities and resources; there are opportunities in the blue economy in the seas here, and so many possibilities in the field of tourism, yet Kerala is lagging behind other states in the race for development,” he said.

 

 

“I have come here before as well, but this time the winds of change are blowing in a different direction. The biggest transformation is now about to take place in Kerala. Voting will be held on April 9, and on May 4, the end of decades of misgovernance will be declared,” Modi said. “It is now certain that the countdown to the exit of the LDF government has begun. For the first time, a BJP-NDA government is coming to power in Keralam,” he added.

‘Basic infrastructure neglected in region’: PM Modi

“The LDF-UDF governments have never cared about this region. The condition of connecting roads here is deplorable. Not a single major bridge has been built here for many years, and the state of the medical college is so poor. Where there is such a severe lack of basic infrastructure, anyone can imagine what your standard of living must be like,” Modi said.

 

“The NDA government has not spared any effort for Kerala’s development despite there being no BJP rule in the state,” he said, adding that the “NDA government spent five times more on development in Kerala than the Congress-led UPA regime".

PM Modi flags delay in Sabarimala rail project

Referring to infrastructure, he said delays in key projects had affected the region.

 

“The Sabarimala Railway Project here can open up new possibilities in this region; it will enhance direct connectivity to Sabarimala, give a new momentum to local business, and open new avenues of employment for the youth, but the state government has kept this project hanging. Thiruvalla is suffering because of this. When the BJP's double-engine government comes to power, all such obstacles will be removed; this is Modi's guarantee,” he said.

PM targets Congress over West Asia remarks

Targeting opposition parties over their remarks on West Asia, Modi said, “The war crisis in West Asia has exposed the designs of the Congress and its allied parties. Today, the entire country is watching how the situation has unfolded in the Gulf countries, where millions of our people are working, yet Congress's big leaders deliberately make statements that put the safety of Indians living in West Asia at risk and sow distrust among the people there.”

 

“It’s only because of our good relations that the governments of the Gulf countries consider all our Indians as their own family and are protecting them... This is not the time to say such things; the safety of those Indians is our priority... Please stop making senseless remarks that cause trouble for our people there,” he added.

 

He further said, “The Congress wants the West Asian countries to consider India as their enemy… The Congress wants panic to spread, and for it to get a chance to hurl abuses at Modi. I want to tell the people of Congress, LDF, UDF that politics has its place, elections will come and go, but for me, the safety of the lakhs of Keralites there is the priority, and I am committed to that.”

 

On women’s representation, Modi said, “It is our government that has provided 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies… Parliament is going to reconvene in three days. The law we have passed… should start benefiting from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.”

 

He added that steps were being planned to ensure that no state lost representation and that women’s participation increased through additional seats.

 

Referring to development in other regions, he said, “The Christian community is present in large numbers in the Northeast… In Goa, the Christian community is decisive, and there has been a continuous BJP-NDA government. It is touching new heights of development. If an NDA government is formed in Keralam too, Keralam will attain new heights of development.”