Modi launches projects in Kerala, visits temple

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday drew a contrast between his government and the earlier United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, saying that while the latter was weak and unstable and allowed terrorist attacks to hurt investment, his administration has built infrastructure such as ports and ship-repair clusters to make India a global maritime power. He also exhorted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cadre in Kerala to remind voters about the difference.

- Vishnu Varma

Modi made the comments on the second day of his two-day visit to southern India where he inaugurated three major shipping and energy projects in Kochi, visited the Guruvayur temple and addressed a convention of party workers. This is the second visit of the PM to Kerala since the turn of the year, after he travelled to the state as well as Lakshwadeep and Tamil Nadu on January 2 and 3.

Speaking to around 6,000 BJP in charges of shakti kendras, composed of booth workers, Modi told the cadre to identify beneficiaries of central government schemes and talk to their families.

“Understand how a voter can benefit from central schemes. Find out their problems and decipher if they have benefited from Digital India. The PM SVANidhi yojana is there for street vendors. As the booth in-charge, you should take responsibilities of families in your booths. Ask people to add their names to the voter list as no one should be excluded from the voting process,” he said.

He said that the message that the BJP worker must carry from house to house should also include the “weak and unstable government” that existed till 2014.