Guruvayur: After his meditation in a cave in Kedarnath, PM Modi once again chose his venue well by offering prayers at the famous Sri Krishna temple here visited by lakhs of devotees every year from Kerala, India and abroad. Wearing a dhoti and shirtless, Modi gave ample time for shutterbugs as he offered ''Thulabaram'' where one is weighed against any favourite object or material. Modi chose the BJP symbol of lotus. The temple authorities had brought 112 kg of lotus, but Modi needed only 91 kg. He also lingered on to greet devotees in front of the temple.
Though the BJP scored a duck once again in the recent Lok Sabha elections, Modi''s messaging was clear -- that Kerala was as dear to him as Varanasi, his political constituency. And with all this, he stole the thunder from under Rahul Gandhi''s who was in Wayanad once again targeting the PM. Later, addressing a massive gathering of party supporters in Guruvayur, his first after the massive win, Modi made no reference to Sabarimala. He kept himself off any controversies though he was not factually correct in saying that Kerala had rejected the Ayushman Bharat health scheme. In fact, Kerala has received the first tranche of money from the Centre.
To the curious, Modi said: "Many people must be wondering why Modi has come to Kerala to give a speech after BJP didn''t even open its account in Kerala in the recently-held Lok Sabha election... But I don''t differentiate between my countrymen... For me, the people of Kerala are just as much my own, as the people of Varanasi." "Political parties and political pundits could not gauge people''s mood. So did those involved in conducting (poll) surveys. But people gave a strong mandate for the BJP," he said.
The recent polls proved that people rejected "negativity" and accepted positivity, PM Modi said. "Elections have their place in democracy and it is the responsibility of the winner to take care of 130 crore people. Those who made us win or those who did not, both are our (people)," he added. The PM made it clear that the BJP was not working for mere electoral politics and was keen on the country''s progress and ensuring India gets its place of pride in the international arena. PM Modi also listed the steps the centre was taking to counter the Nipah virus scare in Kerala and the foot and mouth disease plaguing its cattle.
- Shankar Raj
