PM Modi Predicts 'Lotus Bloom' In Kerala, Seeks Strong Voter Turnout For BJP

On the eve of the Parliament poll dates announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that the "lotus is going to bloom" in the southern state, and the BJP-led NDA would secure power at the Centre by surpassing previous records in the upcoming polls. He urged Kerala voters to convert their "substantial support" into votes so that the BJP wins seats in the double digits in the state.

"We are going to witness a grand festival of democracy soon. I have a firm belief that this time Kerala's love for the BJP will translate into a huge support. I have a firm belief that this time all previous records will be broken. I have a firm belief that this time our Kerala will break the vicious cycle of LDF and UDF. I have a firm belief that this time Kerala will immensely support the BJP. Modi promises you that he will leave no stone unturned to develop Kerala," Modi said, referring to himself in the third person, while addressing a huge meeting of the BJP-led NDA in this south Kerala town.

His statement came shortly after the Election Commission said it would announce the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls on Saturday.

Reaching out to the Christian community in Kerala, crucial for the NDA's victory in Lok Sabha constituencies classified by the BJP as 'A' category segments, including Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, and Thiruvananthapuram, the Prime Minister recounted his meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican and highlighted his government's successful efforts to rescue a priest from Kottayam who had been captured by ISIS militants in Yemen.

"In 2021 when I met His Holiness Pope Francis in the Vatican, even then I specifically mentioned Kerala there. He was also impressed by the progress being made in India. In the past 10 years, we have worked as hard as possible for every community and region of the country...We brought back, through Iraq, our sister nurses who were stranded in the middle of a war. We freed our Christian priests who were in trouble and brought them back safely," Modi said.

He was referring to the rescue of Father Tom Uzhunnalil, a Catholic priest from Kerala who was abducted in war-torn Yemen in 2016 and rescued from ISIS captivity after 18 months during a deadly attack on a care home in the port city of Aden.

In 2014, soon after the first Modi government came to power, the government had safely evacuated 46 Indian nurses, including a large number of Keralites, from the then strife-torn Iraq.

Amid criticism from the Congress and the Left in Kerala over recent violence against Christians in Manipur, Modi, in his speech, subtly alluded to the case of a Catholic priest being struck by a vehicle in Poonjar, Kottayam district last month, lamenting, "It's regrettable that even church priests in Kerala are not immune to violence."

In his address, Modi also projected the BJP's prominent Christian face in Kerala Anil K Antony -- son of Congress stalwart and former Union Minister A K Antony -- who is contesting the parliamentary seat of Pathanamthitta, as a symbol of youthfulness.