Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his two-day visit to Kerala starting April 24, will hold discussions with Christian religious leaders including bishops, apart from taking part in other programmes, state unit BJP president K Surendran said on Thursday, April 20. The announcement has come amid several reports suggesting the Kerala BJP is trying to "get close" with churches. Surendran said the PM will attend a road show and address a public meeting, as per a report in Mathrubhumi.
Addressing a press conference, Surendran said, “Prime Minister's visit to Kerala will give impetus to the state's development. There is a great expectation among the people of Kerala for this visit. PM Modi will hold a road show. People will come voluntarily to receive him. 'Yuvam' will be the conference that would mark the beginning of Kerala's political change. The youth who want the development of Kerala beyond party politics will participate in this.”
Surendran claimed that the Christian community has come forward to support the politics of development after having realised that the initiatives of the Modi government are transforming the country, according to a report in The New Indian Express.
BJP will organise a mega road show in Kochi to welcome the PM on his arrival on April 24. Modi is slated to arrive at the naval air station INS Garuda at 5 pm and take part in the road show. Surendran said the PM will proceed to Sacred Heart College ground after the road show for the Yuvam youth conference, where he will address youth from across the state.
Surendran said students, techies, artists, writers, sportspersons and talented people from all walks of life will attend the conference, where discussions will be held on why Kerala is lagging behind in the development sector despite having 100% literacy and educated youth.
“This (the lag) is due to corruption, mismanagement and lack of vision. The issues will be discussed in campuses and youth platforms over the next year. We will also hold discussions with social and spiritual organisations on ways to end negative politics and usher in an era of development in Kerala,” the TNIE report said quoting Surendran.
On Easter Sunday (April 9), there was a flurry of activity when ministers and leaders called upon priests and the laity. Both the CPI(M)-led ruling Left Front and the Congress-led UDF have termed these developments as activities undertaken with an eye on next year's Lok Sabha elections. They also warned the Christian community to not fall prey to "these moves of the BJP”. To this, Surendran said: "The Christian community has dismissed all the false campaign that is currently going on."
Meanwhile, Congress's Kerala unit president K Sudhakaran said the Congress party, in the coming weeks, "will come out with a list of attacks that the Sangh Parivar groups have unleashed on Churches across the country and will lead a campaign on it.”
With IANS inputs