New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday kicked off campaigning for the upcoming Kerala elections in Kochi and said the people of the state are now ready to move beyond the long-standing dominance of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) and claimed that the recent electoral victory of the BJP in the state is indicative of a wider political shift.Prime Minister Modi also criticized Rahul Gandhi, saying Congress “princes” do not understand young people and that many companies in the Indian state of Kerala are engaged in drone manufacturing.
“The people of Kerala have seen that the Congress prince has no idea about the remarkable achievements of India’s youth in drone manufacturing. The Congress leader does not know that there are many companies in India that are manufacturing drones,” he said. “He also does not know that the youth of Kerala have startups developing drones. People who are limited in their narrow-minded thinking can never see the progress of this country.”Addressing a large public rally in Ernakulam, Kochi, the Prime Minister cited the BJP’s victories in the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat and Thiruvananthapuram polls as evidence of the party’s growing influence in the state.“I am happy that the people of Kerala have now decided to break away from the vicious cycle of LDF and UDF. This confidence was evident in this massive rally,” PM Modi said.The Prime Minister addressed the audience in Malayalam at the beginning of his speech and mentioned that the state is popularly known as ‘Kerala’, saying it was a tribute to the Malayalam heritage.“This is your heartfelt appeal for Kerala to be called Kerala. I feel proud that now the entire country and the world calls this great state as Kerala. I am also proud of this historic work done by the BJP-NDA government. This is a tribute to the wonderful heritage of Malayalam,” he said.Prime Minister Modi urged voters in the state to break the traditional cycle of alternating power between the LDF and the Democratic Front and give the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party a chance to govern.“It is important to break the LDF-UDF pattern of government and give the BJP-led NDA a chance to serve you for the next five years. You have Modi’s guarantee,” the Prime Minister said.The comments come as the BJP seeks to expand its political influence in Kerala, which has historically been dominated by the Left and Congress-led alliances. Party leaders have been viewing the recent electoral success as a sign of growing support for the BJP in the southern state.
