Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the ruling Left party of 'looting' the poor in the state as he claimed that nearly Rs 100 billion which was deposited in 300 cooperative banks in the state by the underprivileged, laborers, women, and individuals who have returned from the Gulf countries was at risk due to the ruling CPI(M) government and its corruption.
PM Modi brought up the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank scam during his public meeting at Kunnamkulam in Alathur LS constituency.
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He stated that he had initiated an investigation by the ED into the scam and was currently seeking legal counsel on how to return the depositors' money from the seized amounts.
He promised to do everything possible to help the affected individuals and mentioned that the BJP nominee from Alathur constituency, T N Sarasu, had recently informed him about the difficulties faced by people who had deposited money in the cooperative bank.
Modi, in his speech, also expressed confidence that Kerala will ensure its voice is heard in Parliament after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Prime Minister also promised that when the NDA government returns to power for the third time, it will initiate survey efforts to bring bullet trains to northern, eastern, and southern India, similar to the service between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
PM Modi takes a swipe at Rahul Gandhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at against the Congress stating that the 'yuvraj' of the grand old party failed to secure his family's constituency in Uttar Pradesh and has now turned to Kerala for electoral support.
Without taking the name of Rahul Gandhi, who was also campaigning in his constituency Wayanad in the state, Modi said the Congress' 'yuvraj' (prince) could not protect his family's seat in Uttar Pradesh -- a reference to the Amethi LS constituency which was a Congress bastion for years -- and came to Kerala to seek votes.
Modi said the Congress leader will seek votes from the people of Kerala but will not raise his voice in their interests, as he was silent on the multi-crore scam in the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank controlled by the state's ruling CPI(M).
PM Modi also criticized the opposition coalition INDIA, claiming that corrupt individuals were joining forces to thwart him, but he remained undeterred by their actions.
Modi said the Congress party had labelled members of the Left party as "terrorists."
"However, in the political landscape of Delhi, the Congress and these purported terrorists are seen engaging in collaborative discussions, sharing meals, and crafting election strategies together," he said.
He also criticised the Congress over the support offered by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI), for the Lok Sabha elections.
The PM alleged it was a "back-door agreement" between the Congress and the SDPI, which was the political wing of an organisation banned in India for anti-national activities.
PM Modi further persisted in criticizing the governing Left in the region, highlighting the gold smuggling incident, accusations of corruption against the Kerala CM, and the state's law enforcement issues. Addressing Kerala's financial struggles, Modi attributed them to the purported widespread corruption and mishandling by the Left administration.
"The state's public coffers have been depleted, leaving the government unable to fulfill its obligation to pay salaries to its employees," he alleged.
He asserted that those embroiled in numerous scandals and shielding gold smugglers cannot ensure the state's welfare and urged Kerala to liberate itself from the grip of corrupt administrations.
The Prime Minister said the Supreme Court has turned down Kerala's request for additional borrowing, attributing the state's financial woes to its own mismanagement.
Kerala stands accountable for its fiscal troubles, with both the LDF and UDF administrations being accused of contributing to the state's decline, he said.
He further claimed that the southern state was in the news lately for the political killings in the state and the offences against women, all of which were the outcome of years of ineffective rule by the Congress and the Left.
Modi also blamed the LDF and UDF for the Varkala and Nedumangad areas of Thiruvananthapuram allegedly becoming dens of drug mafias where narcotics were openly sold.
"Violence and anarchy are common in Kerala. Political murders are carried out here. College campuses have become dens of anti-social movements. Our children are not safe," he alleged in Alathur in the morning.
Both the Left and the Congress were the same, as they "were against development, competed with each other in matters of corruption, and both have been rejected by the people", he said.
"The Left has only one character, be it Tripura, West Bengal, or Kerala; nothing left and nothing right. Meaning that where the Left is in power, there is nothing left, and nothing good happens there. What they did in West Bengal and Tripura, they are doing in Kerala also," he alleged in Alathur.
This was Modi's sixth visit to the state. He had last come on March 19 to Kerala, which is going to polls on April 26.
(With PTI inputs)
