Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick off the election campaign of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the State with a massive public event in the first week of January.
Speaking to media persons after a meeting of the NDA State committee here on Saturday, BJP State president and NDA chairman K. Surendran said Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J. P. Nadda too were slated to join the election campaign on various occasions.
According to Mr. Surendran, the NDA would embark on a door-to-door campaign to highlight the various development and welfare projects of the Union government from December 13 to 20 in all grama panchayats across the State. Reviving its attempts to bridge the gap with the Christian community, the NDA workers will be visiting all Christian homes from December 20 to 30 to pass on the Christmas – Easter message of the Prime Minister. The coalition also looks to utilise the opportunity to expose the alleged communal appeasement policy of the Congress-led UDF and the CPI (M)-headed LDF.
“NDA will also organise massive public campaigns from January first week to February end, after completing the assembly-level conventions by the end of December. The national leadership including the Prime Minister, Home Minister and BJP national president will participate in these meetings,” he said.
The meeting also deliberated on denying Rahul Gandhi any home turf advantage in Wayanad by fielding candidates with a national profile.
As part of the expansion of the NDA, the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena would be made a part of the front in the State while formal discussions with parties including the Kerala Janapakshan (Secular) led by P.C. George are soon slated to begin.
On the occasion, Mr.Surendran also lashed out at the LDF government for the recurring farmer suicides in the State. While the paddy farmers are not being paid their dues for the stocks procured, the rubber farmers are being denied the subsidies.
“Lakhs of farmers in the State are not getting the Modi government’s Kisan Samman Nidhi due to non-submission of land records. Additionally, the funds allocated by the central government through the NABARD are not reaching the farmers in Kerala’’, he pointed out.
He also accused the Congress party of echoing the LDF government’s claims that the Union government was causing a financial crisis in Kerala. According to him, differentiating between the UDF and the LDF was a difficult task as both parties keep on blaming the Centre for the State’s financial woes.
