Prime Minister Narendra Modi being presented the traditional Onavillu by Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan during a public meeting in Pathanamthitta, Friday, March 15, 2024.
PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the Congress and the CPM have made the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) a key issue in the Lok Sabha election campaign in the state to attack the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintained silence on the matter while addressing an election campaign meeting at Pathanamthitta in Kerala on Friday.
Instead, Modi focused on his government's development and welfare initiatives and accused the CPM and Congress, which have been ruling Kerala consecutively for years, of corruption. He alleged of law and order problems in Kerala and cited the recent attack on a Christian priest and 'goondaism by Communists at college campuses' as instances.
Modi reiterated his hope that BJP, which is yet to have a Lok Sabha MP from Kerala, will win a double-digit number of seats from the state. "The people of Kerala should elect BJP candidates so as to ensure that all development needs of the state are properly taken up. Kerala's development will be guaranteed," he said.
BJP candidates, including Congress leader A K Antony's son Anil Antony, who is contesting from Pathanamthitta, as well as Congress leader K Karunakaran's daughter Padmaja Venugopal, who recently joined the BJP, shared the stage with Modi.
The ruling CPM and the opposition Congress in Kerala have strongly criticised the BJP over the CAA. After a long gap, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan even held a press conference on Thursday and accused the BJP of trying to create a communal divide in the country. The state also decided not to implement the CAA and to pursue legal avenues against it.
BJP leaders in Kerala claim that Congress and CPM were trying to mislead the Muslim community over the CAA to woo Muslim votes.