E-Paper
Cong, Left parties rivals in Kerala, but friends elsewhere: PM
The Congress and Left parties are rivals in Kerala but best friends elsewhere, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday in Thiruvananthapuram
The Congress and Left parties are rivals in Kerala but best friends elsewhere, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday in Thiruvananthapuram, asserting that the people of Kerala will give a fitting reply to this “politics of cheating.”
The opposition has a single agenda of opposing him, Modi said at a public meeting organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Central Stadium in the state capital to mark the conclusion of a foot march undertaken by state BJP chief K Surendran, adding that Kerala will never stand with those who have such a negative perspective towards the country’s development.
“The opposition has already conceded defeat in the 2024 elections. They don’t have a road map for the country’s development. They have a single agenda – to abuse Modi,” the Prime Minister said. “I am sure Kerala and its people will never stand with those who have such a negative outlook. Kerala will give blessings to the BJP and NDA (National Democratic Alliance) and contribute to nation building.”
The two political alliances in the state, the Left Democratic Front led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the United Democratic Front led by the Congress were “each other’s enemies” in the state but were “best friends forever” outside the state, he said, stressing that the BJP will win Lok Sabha seats from Kerala in the double digits.
“The Congress and the Communists pretend to be rivals in Kerala. But outside the state, they are best friends forever. Within the INDI alliance, they sit next to each other and have chai, samosas and biscuits. They use one language in Thiruvananthapuram and speak another in the rest of the country,” Modi said. “The people of Kerala will give them a fitting answer for this politics of cheating.”
“There is a different level of enthusiasm among the people of Kerala. The hope that was aroused for the BJP in Kerala in 2019 seems to be changing into confidence in 2024. In 2019, the people of Kerala voted for BJP-NDA in double digits. In 2024, the people of Kerala will give double-digit seats to us. In 2019, the country was giving slogans of ‘Phir ek baar Modi Sarkar (Modi government once more)’. In 2024, everyone is saying ‘Abki baar, 400 paar (400 seats this time’.”
Kerala sends 20 MPs to the Lok Sabha.
The BJP has never seen any Indian state from the perspective of a vote bank, Modi said. “Even when the BJP was not strong in Kerala, even then we worked day in and day out to empower Kerala,” he said. “Over the past 10 years, the benefits of development have been reaped by Kerala as much as done by the BJP-ruled states.”
Modi alleged “non-cooperation” from the state government and said despite that Kerala has remained a top priority for the BJP-led Centre.
“We declared that all the exams for central government jobs be conducted in regional languages, including Malayalam. We have linked India to the rest of the world through traditional medicine methods like Ayurveda. Over 1.5 crore people in Kerala are getting benefits of the free ration scheme of the central government. Free treatment worth ₹5,500 crore has been given to people here through the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Thirty six lakh people have got piped water through the Jal Jeevan Mission. Over 40 lakh farmers have got direct aid in the form of PM Kisan scheme. Over 50 lakh Mudra (micro) loans were disbursed for the youth. Work is being done to expand infrastructure through expansion of national highways and new Vande Bharat trains,” he stated.
CPI (M)state secretary Binoy Viswam wrote in a post on X, “It has been proved that the PM can even crack a joke...That the BJP would win double digit seats in Kerala would evoke a laughter in everyone. When earlier guarantees have remained unfulfilled, the PM has come with new guarantees. If the BJP gets double digit seats through such guarantees, the crows will fly backwards.”
Space initiatives
The Prime Minister also announced the names of four astronaut- designates who will be part of the country’s maiden human space flight mission Gaganyaan and inaugurated space infrastructure projects worth ₹1,800 crore at an event at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.
After reviewing the progress of the Gaganyaan mission, which involves launching a human crew to an orbit of 400 km for three days before bringing them safely back to Earth, Modi bestowed “astronaut wings” to the crew consisting of Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajith Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.
Exhorting the crowd at the space centre hall to give a standing ovation to the pilots, Modi said, “They are not just four names or individuals. They are four forces who are carrying the aspirations and dreams of 140 crore people of India into space...an Indian is going into space after 40 years. However, this time the countdown and the rocket belong to us.”
The four astronaut- designates symbolise the courage, valour and discipline of today’s India, Modi said, praising their commitment towards the training for the mission. “You are a representative of today’s Bharat, which faces challenges courageously. India’s blessings are with you,” he said.
Modi stressed that most of the components of the Gaganyaan mission were made in India and that the project coincides with India preparing to become one of the top three economies in the world.
At the event, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation three key projects – PSLV Integration Facility at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, a new semi-cryogenics integrated engine and stage test facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri and a trisonic wind tunnel at VSSC Thiruvananthapuram. These new world-class facilities will boost the country’s space sector and lead to new jobs, he said.
“All of you are opening new doors of future possibilities. As per estimates, the country’s space economy will grow fivefold and touch $44 billion in the next 10 years. In the coming days, India will once again go to the moon. Venus is also on the radar. By 2035, India will have its own space station. Also, in this amrit kaal (golden age), an Indian astronaut will land on the moon in an Indian rocket,” Modi added.
He also drew comparisons between the last decade and the years before that in terms of the country’s space achievements. After 2014, India has launched around 400 satellites, compared to just 33 before that, he said.
“The number of space startups before 2014 was around 2-3. Today, it’s over 200, and most of them are launched by the youth,” Modi said. “We have introduced reforms, which have quickened the pace of the sector. This includes the 100% FDI (foreign direct investment) in the sector. Now, the world’s biggest space institutes can establish themselves in India and provide an opportunity to the youth to showcase their skills.”
