PM starts poll blitz in Kerala, TN with high-voltage rallies
In his southern India sojourn to sound the poll bugle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that BJP is all set to form its governments in Kerala and Tamil Naud where assembly elections are due this summer. Addressing a massive BJP rally at Thiruvananthapuram, Modi sought a decisive mandate for his party to fulfill the developmental aspirations of the people of Kerala, while in his first political rally of the NDA in Maduranthakam near Chennai, PM said the people of Tamil Nadu have decided to bid farewell to the “corrupt” DMK government.
In Kerala where Modi launched several projects including trains, he raked up the Sabarimala gold loss issue in poll-bound Kerala to attack the ruling Left. He also targeted the Congress for its association with the Muslim League, accusing it of promoting hardline elements in the state. Modi said that while the LDF and UDF have different flags and symbols, their underlying political approach and agenda are virtually identical — “rampant corruption with zero accountability and the promotion of divisive communalism with no responsibility”. Referring to the grand old party as ‘MMC’ — Muslim League Maoist Congress — Modi said it was important to be vigilant against them, as they were allegedly using Kerala as a ‘testing ground’ for their strategies.
Targeting the CPI(M)-led ruling alliance, Modi accused the LDF of leaving “no stone unturned” to tarnish the traditions of the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala. “Now, there are reports of gold being stolen from the shrine. Gold has been stolen from God. I will make it clear that as soon as a BJP government is formed (apparently referring to forthcoming Assembly elections in the state), the allegations will be examined in detail and the culprits will be put in jail. This is Modi’s guarantee,” the PM asserted.
The Prime Minister also held a massive road show in this Capital city of poll-bound Kerala during party workers and supporters carried ‘Vikasita Keralam’ (developed Kerala) placards.
Modi hailed the BJP’s victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, which ended over four decades of Left rule, expressing confidence that there will be changes in Kerala in the upcoming Assembly polls as well.
He recalled that the BJP’s rise to power in Gujarat started with winning a single city nearly four decades ago and said the same would happen in Kerala. He said that prior to 1987, the BJP was a marginal party in Gujarat and would hardly get any media coverage.
On his arrival at Chennai, Prime Minister was received by Governor R N Ravi, State minister T M Anbarasan, Chief Secretary N Muruganandam and other officials at the airport and then a helicopter ride to reach Maduranthakam, located about 87 km from Chennai to address the rally.
Modi on kickstarted the NDA’s 2026 election campaign in Tamil Nadu, mounting a spirited attack on the ruling DMK on issues, including corruption and coined an abbreviation — CMC — to lash out at the Dravidian party.According to the PM, CMC means “Corruption, Mafia, Crime.”
“The DMK is CMC — a Corruption, Mafia, Crime promoting government. The people of Tamil Nadu have made up their mind to uproot DMK, CMC,” he said at the massive gathering comprising of public and cadres from NDA constituents, including the AIADMK, AMMK and PMK (Anbumani faction).
In his maiden visit to Tamil Nadu in the poll year, the PM’s rally turned out to be a show of strength with top leaders from the key alliance parties — AIADMK chief and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) chief TTV Dhinakaran, PMK’s Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, TMC-M leader G K Vasan and many others in attendance.
Continuing his attack against the DMK, Modi said the party-led government’s “countdown has started.”Tamil Nadu wants to be free of DMK’s “misgovernance,” and was looking forward to the BJP-NDA’s good governance, he said.
Lashing out at the DMK over the Thirupparankundram Lord Murugan Temple Karthigai lamp lighting row, he said that while “our leaders stood by devotees’ rights, the DMK left no stone unturned for vote bank politics.” The party did not even spare the court.
“We have to free TN from the clutches of the DMK,” he said, and batted for a “double engine” government in the state that walks “shoulder to shoulder” with the Centre for Tamil Nadu’s growth and progress.
The menace of drugs and crime was rampant in the state, he said, claiming youth were falling prey to narcotics while women suffered due to the instances of crime.
Recalling the late Chief Minister, he said “Selvi (Ms) J Jayalalithaa did great work in controlling crime in Tamil Nadu, but today women are suffering.”
