Kamal Ghorui
KOCHI: PM Modi Wednesday dedicated projects worth nearly Rs 11,000 crore to Kerala during his visit to the poll-bound state, besides formally kicking off the NDA’s campaign.He laid the foundation stone for a polypropylene unit worth over Rs 5,500 crore at the Kochi refinery of BPCL, inaugurated two major highway projects costing over Rs 2,000 crore each and dedicated railway initiatives worth Rs 142 crore to the nation.Modi repeatedly referred to the state as “Keralam” at his various events in the city.Addressing an event, he said the Centre’s approval to rename Kerala as “Keralam” had fulfilled a longstanding demand of the people of the state.On Feb 24, the union cabinet had approved the proposal for the name change for which the state assembly had passed a resolution in 2024.Meanwhile, CM Pinarayi Vijayan and ministers M B Rajesh and K Krishnankutty skipped the PM’s official event. No reason was cited for Vijayan’s absence, while his cabinet colleagues cited personal inconvenience.At the NDA rally, Modi said the state should end its trend of alternating between CPM-headed LDF and Congress-led UDF govts. “Give us five years to change Kerala into a developed state,” he said.Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, he said he was unaware of the achievements made by India’s youth, particularly in drone manufacturing, an apparent reference to the Congress MP’s recent statement in Thiruvananthapuram, where he said China was dominating drone manufacturing and India was nowhere close to it currently. “He doesn’t know many companies in India are manufacturing drones. He doesn’t know that Keralam’s youth are building drone startups. He is limited to a small circle and cannot see the growth of India,” the Prime Minister said.Modi also accused Congress of deliberately making “provocative and irresponsible statements” in connection with the West Asia crisis for political reasons, “so that the situation deteriorates and our people are stranded in trouble there and then they can together make reels blaming Modi”. “That is their game,” he said.Modi also flagged the Sabarimala gold scam to attack both LDF and UDF. “While LDF functionaries are accused of looting the gold from the temple, UDF is accused of selling the looted gold,” he alleged, without elaborating.
