Muraleedharan hits back at PM Modi’s ‘B-team’ jibe, lists grouses

UDF Leader Questions Centre’s Contribution to Kerala

United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate from Kerala’s Assembly constituency of Vattiyoorkavu and Congress leader K Muraleedharan launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his “B Team” remarks targeting the UDF, questioning the Centre’s contribution to the State.

The Congress leader alleged that despite one MP of the BJP, Suresh Gopi, being elected from Kerala and included in the Union Cabinet, the state has not received due support from the Central government. He claimed that Kerala’s demands have been consistently rejected, adding that the state has not received an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), adequate central aid, or proper allocation of funds in the railway sector. “BJP is not a strong party in the state of Kerala, so he can’t do anything in the state of Kerala. He (PM Modi) is always attacking the Congress party, and at the same time, he (PM Modi) has no voice in Kerala politics. What is his (PM Modi) government’s contribution to Kerala? See, one MP (Suresh Gopi) was elected from Kerala and you included him in the Cabinet also. Unfortunately, all our demands were rejected by the Central government. We didn’t get All India Medical Institute, any central aid, we didn’t get. Even in railways also, we didn’t get any proper allocation of funds,” said Muraleedharan.

PM Modi’s ‘A-Team’ Jibe

Earlier today PM Modi while addressing an election rally in Palakkad, highlighted “new propaganda” by the Left and Congress, asserted that both sides are accusing each other of being the BJP’s “B-team.” He said that while the Communists call Congress the BJP’s B-team, Congress in turn labels the Communists the BJP’s B-team, adding that this narrative ultimately reinforces the BJP as the principal political force, Kerala’s “A team.” “The LDF and UDF have looted Kerala for decades by sharing the spoils; there has been an understanding between them that for some years the LDF will run the government and fill their pockets, then after a few years the UDF will loot. Our Kerala has gotten entangled in this alliance of theirs. These days, the communists and Congress have joined hands to start a new propaganda, where the Communists say that Congress is the B team of the BJP, and Congress says that the Communists are the B team of the BJP. They too have now accepted that in this Kerala election, if there is any one team–the ‘A’ team–it is only the BJP,” said PM Modi.

Kerala Assembly Election Context

This public meeting comes ahead of Kerala Assembly polls, which will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. There are 12 assembly seats in the Palakkad region. These include Palakkad, Malampuzha, Tarur, Chittur, Nemmara, Shoranur, Ottapalam, Pattambi, Kongad, Mannarkkad, Thrithala and Alathur.

The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23. The polling would be done under strict guidelines issued by the ECI under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which came into effect in all poll-bound regions after the election schedule was announced.

Kerala has traditionally followed an alternating pattern of governance, switching between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) every five years since 1982. This trend was broken in 2021 when the LDF, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was re-elected for a second consecutive term.

During this election, the Congress-led UDF seek to unseat the incumbent Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF and gain control of the 140-member assembly.

The LDF-led government has governed the state for around a decade.

Around 2.7 crore electors are expected to participate in the election. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)