Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was the sole “A-team” in the upcoming assembly polls in Kerala, as he launched a sharp attack against the ruling Left Democratic Front Front (LDF) and the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF). The PM said that Kerala currently faces a public debt of ₹5 lakh crore, further alleging that the taxpayers’ money is going into the pockets of the LDF leaders. (PTI)
Addressing an election rally in Palakkad, Modi accused the LDF and UDF of looting the state for decades, further alleging that there is an “understanding” between the two coalitions.
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“The LDF and UDF have looted Kerala for decades by sharing the spoils; there has been an understanding between them that for some years the LDF will run the government and fill their pockets, then after a few years the UDF will loot,” he said.
“The communists say the Congress is the ‘B-team’ of the BJP while the Congress says the same about the Left. In reality, the sole ‘A-team’ in Kerala is BJP,” the PM asserted.
Modi warned voters to remain alert about the two fronts, saying: “The Congress and the communists are forming alliances across the country. Look at Bihar, Jharkhand, from Andhra Pradesh to Manipur, Tripura and Assam. They ran the government together in Delhi. They are part of the INDIA bloc. But in Kerala, the Congress and communists are giving each other fake abuses.”
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Saying that the NDA’s aim is to fulfil the dreams of the people in the southern state, he said: “When the Congress was in power, whatever money Kerala got, we gave five times that amount to the state through budget allocations. Be it urban development, roads, railways, agriculture, Jal Jeevan Mission and PM Awas Yojana.”
The funds were across sectors, Modi said. “But, the state government did not utilise the funds properly. This was your rightful money, but the state government looted it,” he added.
The PM said that Kerala currently faces a public debt of ₹5 lakh crore, further alleging that the taxpayers’ money is going into the pockets of the LDF leaders. “When the NDA government is formed, the money will be recovered from the looters and utilised in the state’s development,” he said.
In response, Congress leader K Muraleedharan questioned the BJP-led Centre’s contribution to Kerala. “The BJP is not a strong party in the state of Kerala, so he can’t do anything in the state of Kerala. He (PM Modi) is always attacking the Congress party, and at the same time, he (PM Modi) has no voice in Kerala politics. What is his (PM Modi) government’s contribution to Kerala?” he said.