Modi's big Southern push ahead of LS polls with Kerala &TN visits; says Oppn has 'conceded defeat'

In his big southern push ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a strong pitch for the BJP against the major parties in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the states seen as the saffron party's achilles heel, and launched a broadside against the CPI (M) and the Congress, saying they are enemies in Kerala but are BFFs (best friends forever) elsewhere.

In back-to-back events in the two southern states that have always cold-shouldered the BJP, Modi asserted his party came second to none when delivering to the people of the two states.

The PM has made multiple visits to the states in the past few months, combining official work with temple visits and roadshows that come at a time when the BJP is making efforts to drum up support given that it is not part of any leading bloc in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

His comments in Kerala that the BJP never treated any state as a vote bank and that Tamil Nadu received more central funds in the last decade under his party's rule are seen as rejoinders to the two states' claim that they suffered vis-a-vis devolution of funds.

There are a total of 59 Lok Sabha seats that are presently held by the Congress, the DMK and allies in these states. BJP has no representation.

While Modi pilloried the local rivals CPI (M) and Congress for their incongruity in Kerala, in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, he dwelled on issues involving Tamil pride, closely intertwined with the state politics.

Speaking at the conclusion ceremony of BJP state unit chief K Surendran's padayatra at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Modi slammed the opposition, saying it lacked a roadmap for the nation's progress. The opposition parties are convinced that it will not win the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and that is the reason its ''leaders resort to abuse me,'' the Prime Minister asserted.

He made similar comments in TN where he said the mega opposition bloc INDIA has already ''conceded defeat'' but was keen to loot the country and the state.

''The Congress and the Communists are each other's enemies in Kerala, but in other states, they are BFFs. BFFs means best friends forever,'' the PM said.

He said the Congress accused the Communist Chief Minister (Pinarayi Vijayan) of being involved in corruption and scams and termed the Left government as fascist.

''The Communists in response, lathi-charged the Congress workers and termed their previous administrations as being involved in various scams. However, outside Kerala, at the INDI alliance meetings, they sit together, eat samosas and biscuits, and have tea,'' the PM said.

''So in Thiruvananthapuram, they say one thing and in Delhi, they say something else. The people of Kerala will answer this betrayal in the coming LS polls.'' The BJP never sees a state from the perspective of a vote bank, Modi said and added that over the past 10 years, Kerala has benefited from development like other BJP-ruled states.

He said he guaranteed that his government would make all possible efforts to help the people of Kerala realise their dreams and expectations.

'Modiyude guarantee' (Modi's guarantee) is to make India the third-largest economy in the world as well as eradicate poverty and corruption from the country.

''Even when the BJP was not strong in Kerala, we worked to empower Kerala. Over the past 10 years, the benefits of development have been reaped by Kerala as much as by the BJP-ruled states,'' the Prime Minister said.

In Tamil Nadu, Modi was all too critical of the ruling DMK. However, he was effusive in his praise for the AIADMK stalwarts --late Chief Ministers M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.

AIADMK, which fought the 2019 LS polls and the 2021 state elections as a BJP ally, had announced severing ties with its saffron party in September 2023.

Modi's elaborate praise for the two leaders, especially for MGR who enjoys a cult status, came at Palladam. The town is part of the western region considered as the AIADMK's bastion. His use of the Tamil word 'kongu,' commonly used for the region that comprises Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Salem, Erode and Namakkal, raised many an eyebrow.

The event also marked the culmination of BJP state chief K Annamalai's 'En Mann, En Makkal' padayatra, launched in July last.

While Modi touched upon issues of Tamil pride such as 'Sengol,' the sceptre installed in the Parliament, he also slammed the DMK for its dynasty politics as ''insulting'' MGR whose political journey was based on talent.

His relationship with TN was not political but emotional and the state has shown him much love, he said. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi, flanked by Annamalai and Union Minister of State L Murugan, arrived at the rally venue in an open vehicle as flowers and petals were showered on him.

He further said the Sengol was installed in the Parliament ''respecting the grand heritage of this country and Tamil Nadu.'' Later in the day, he visited the famous Madurai Meenakshi temple and offered prayers.

Modi, who is on a two-day visit to southern states, will dedicate projects worth several thousand crores of rupees in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. Earlier, at Thiruvananthapuram Modi made a historic announcement, revealing the names of the four astronauts who are currently undergoing rigorous training for India's first-ever human space flight mission, Gaganyaan.

Addressing the audience at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba, Modi introduced to the nation the astronauts--Group Captains Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Pratap, Ajit Krishnan, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.

Bestowing them with the prestigious 'astronaut wings,' Modi hailed these astronauts as ''four forces'' representing the aspirations of India's 1.4 billion people.