Palakkad (Kerala) [India], March 29 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Kerala’s Left Democratic Front (LDF) and United Democratic Front (UDF), accusing both alliances of indulging in “vote-bank politics” and neglecting the state’s development.
Addressing a public rally in Palakkad, the Prime Minister said Kerala has long been caught between “two models of selfish politics,” alleging that while one side is “corrupt,” the other is “mega-corrupt,” and if one is “communal,” the other is “mega-communal.” He asserted that both the LDF and UDF have prioritized electoral gains over governance.
Modi said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) aims to bring rapid development to the state and expressed confidence that a future NDA government in Kerala would work toward building a “developed Kerala,” which he described as “Modi’s guarantee.”
“For decades, Kerala has been trapped between the two masks of selfish politics. On one side LDF, on the other UDF; one side Communists, the other Congress. One corrupt, the other mega-corrupt; one communal, the other mega-communal. All the policies of LDF and UDF are only for vote-bank politics; they have no concern for Kerala’s development. The BJP-NDA government that will be formed here will bring rapid development to this place and build a developed Kerala—this is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.
He further accused the LDF and UDF of “looting” the state through an understanding of alternating power over the years. According to him, the two alliances have taken turns governing Kerala while serving their own interests, leaving the state trapped in this cycle.
Referring to recent political rhetoric, Modi said both the Left and Congress have begun calling each other the BJP’s “B-team,” adding that such claims only reinforce the BJP as the main political force in the state. He also pointed out that these parties are allies in several other states under the INDIA bloc while attacking each other in Kerala, urging voters to be cautious of this contradiction.
“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 take over. Our Kerala has gotten entangled in this arrangement. These days, the Communists and Congress have joined hands to start a new propaganda, where the Communists say that Congress is the B-team of the BJP, and Congress says that the Communists are the B-team of the BJP. They too have now accepted that in this Kerala election, if there is any one team—the ‘A-team’—it is only the BJP,” he said.
Targeting the INDIA bloc, the Prime Minister said voters in Kerala should recognize these contradictions, noting that the same parties are allied in several states across the country while criticizing each other locally.
“Today, the truth about who is whose B-team in the upcoming elections needs to be revealed to the people of Kerala. They are in an alliance with each other across the country. Look at Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, and Assam. They are together in the INDIA alliance; even in Tamil Nadu, they are in alliance. But here in Kerala, the Congress and the Left parties are attacking each other. That is why you should be careful about both of them,” he said.
Reacting to his remarks, Congress MP Jebi Mather said the people of Kerala would reject Modi’s statements, alleging an “unholy alliance” between the BJP and the CPI(M). She expressed confidence that voters would support the Congress-led UDF and bring it to power.
“PM Modi has come to Kerala and made many statements that the people are not going to accept. The unholy alliance between the BJP and the CPM is very clear and evident. The people of Kerala have decided that they are going to vote to bring the Congress-led UDF to power. We do not see the Chief Minister being interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate despite many allegations of corruption,” Mather said.
Congress MP K.C. Venugopal also criticized the Prime Minister, accusing the central government of neglecting Kerala’s demands, particularly the long-pending request for an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He alleged that the Union government has treated the state unfairly compared to others and said Modi should apologize to the people of Kerala.
“When the Prime Minister comes to Kerala, he must understand that he has completely neglected the people of the state. For the last 12 years, Kerala has been demanding an AIIMS, which the government has not granted, while several other states have received one. Kerala is suffering in many sectors, and the Government of India is treating the state unfairly. He should at least apologize to the people of Kerala. Why is he not giving AIIMS to Kerala? Then he can say whatever he wants. We are not afraid of the BJP. The CPM and the BJP are together to defeat the UDF, but we are confident of victory,” Venugopal said.
The Kerala Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The tenure of the current Assembly is set to conclude on May 23. Polling will be conducted under strict guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India under the Model Code of Conduct, which came into effect after the announcement of the election schedule.
The Congress-led UDF is seeking to unseat the incumbent Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF and gain control of the 140-member Assembly. The LDF-led government has been in power for nearly a decade. Approximately 2.7 crore voters are expected to participate in the election.
Following the Special Intensive Revision of the state electoral roll, the final voter list for Kerala was released on February 21. The revised roll includes 26,953,644 voters—13,126,048 male voters, 13,827,319 female voters, and 227 third-gender voters. Among them, 424,518 voters belong to the 18–19 age group. (ANI)
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