Kerala polls: NDA candidate backs Modi, invites visits to Wayanad to see state's 'Somalia'

Sulthan Bathery (Kerala), May 12: Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced a backlash over his comparing Kerala with the African country of Somalia in a rally in poll-bound Kerala, he found a friend in C K Janu, a tribal activist who is contesting on the NDA's ticket from here in the May 16 election.

Assembly Polls 2016 Coverage; Kerala poll results: 1952-2011

Saying PM was right in making the comparison, Janu said one should visit the Wayanad district in Kerala to witness Kerala's Somalia. To witness the poverty and starvation, one needs to visit the tribals' colonies in that district in northern Kerala, she said. Wayanad is said to be one of the most underperforming districts of Kerala in terms of tribal welfare. [PM Modi's 'somalia' remark hurt Malayali pride]

Staring from Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the social media also lashed out at the PM over his remark and hashtags #PoMoneModi and #ModiinsultsKerala trending on Twitter. The Left also criticised the PM on the issue.

Janu, who said she is contesting from Sultan Bathery after being asked directly by Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, hopes to meet the demands of her people.

Forty-five-year-old Janu formed her party Janathipahya Rashtriya Sabha in April this year and is contesting the election as an ally of the BJP. The former Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha leader had earlier accused both the United Democratic Front and Left Democ ratic Front of doing little for the tribals in the state.

Oneindia News