Kerala Polls 2021
Match-fixing: PM Modi hits out at alleged understanding between LDF, UDF in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the ruling Left-led alliance or LDF of having an understanding with the Congress-led UDF, calling it as the "worst kept secret" of the state politics.
Addressing a rally in Kerala's Palakkad, Modi said, "Over the last few years, the politics of Kerala is seeing a major shift. This shift is being driven by the aspirations of the youth, especially the first time voter in the state."
He added, "For many years, the worst kept secret of Kerala politics was the friendly agreement of UDF and LDF. Now, the first time voters of Kerala are asking- 'what is this match fixing'?"
Modi said this as his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to keep its footprint in the state, which is heavily dominated by the Left and Congress for years now.
In a direct attack on the ruling party and the Pinarayi Vijayan government, the Prime Minister called the LDF a "betrayer" of Kerala.
"About LDF it can be said: Judas betrayed Lord Christ for a few pieces of silver. LDF has betrayed Kerala for a few pieces of gold," he added.
The Vijayan government, which is at loggerheads with the BJP, has opposed a number of steps including the new controversial citizenship law in the state.
Kerala was one of the first opposition-ruled states to pass a motion in the state assembly against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which aims to grant citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Jain, Buddhist but not Muslim refugees who came to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan due to religious persecution before 2015.
Vijayan had also written to the Centre against the privatisation of a few airports in the state.
The BJP, which has only MLA in the 140-member Kerala assembly, has fielded 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan, who is credited for Delhi Metro and various projects across the country, in the polls.
Sreedharan, 88, was also pitched in as the BJP's Chief Ministerial face in Kerala, though the party later backtracked.
In various opinion polls, the LDF was projected to return to power for the second consecutive time, altering the history of decades.
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