Amit Shah shares 'ultimate goal' for Kerala, cites Thiruvananthapuram as milestone for BJP
Amit Shah spoke of the BJP's aim to develop Kerala and fight anti-national forces, something he said only the BJP could do in the southern state.
Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday shared his “ultimate goal” for Kerala as he vowed to one day see the BJP form a government in the state and a member of the party become chief minister.
Addressing newly-elected local body representatives in Thiruvananthapuram, the BJP leader spoke of the party's aim to develop Kerala and fight “anti-national forces”, something he claimed only the BJP could do.
Shah described the recently achieved historic victory for the BJP in the Thiruvananthapuram local body election as stepping stone for the party's future plans.
"This victory is not our goal, but a stepping stone towards achieving our goal. Our ultimate goal is to form a government in Kerala under the lotus symbol and bring a BJP CM. Our goal is to make Kerala fully developed and to protect Kerala from anti-national forces; to protect the power of faith that has existed in Kerala for centuries," Shah said.
The BJP-led NDA's victory in the local body elections was seen as a big upset for the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) as it ended the coalition's 45 uninterrupted years of rule in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation.
Citing the win, Amit Shah said that Kerala's development, security, and protection of beliefs can only be achieved under the NDA. "Narendra Modi has envisioned making this country a developed India by 2047. I have come here today to tell the people of Kerala that the path to a developed India goes through a developed Kerala," he said.
Not just Thiruvananthapuram, the BJP also retained Palakkad and wrested Thrippunithura from the state's main opposition Congress-led UDF in the local body polls. Taking digs at both UDF and LDF, Amit Shah told representatives: “The match-fixing between the LDF and UDF has stalled this state with its immense potential, and our Kerala is experiencing a strange kind of stagnation.”
He also said that the prominence of Communist parties was diminishing worldwide, and that the Congress was also fading away throughout our country.
The local body polls of Kerala brought a significant rise for the BJP in the southern state. The party won 50 wards in Thiruvananthapuram falling just one short of an absolute majority, and restricted the LDF to just 29 wards.
Before that, BJP's Suresh Gopi secured victory in Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency last year.
(With ANI inputs)
