Kerala Polls: CPI(M), Congress hit back at PM Modi's 'alliance' remark

CPI(M)'s Prakash Karat says the BJP will 'draw a blank' in Kerala, hitting back at PM Modi's remarks. Priyanka Gandhi also refuted the PM, who accused the LDF and UDF of looting the state and being in a dubious alliance.

Opposition Hits Back at PM's Kerala Remarks

CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on the Kerala election, asserting that the BJP will draw a blank in the state. Speaking to ANI, Prakash Karat said that the state is not going to accept the BJP. "Nothing will happen in Kerala for the BJP, they will understand that the state is not going to accept BJP," Karat said.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had also refuted PM Narendra Modi's remarks regarding political alliances in Kerala, asserting that the people of the state are well aware of the ground reality. "Entire Kerala knows the alliance is between whom. No matter what the PM says, everyone knows the truth," she told reporters.

PM Modi Alleges 'Alliance of Loot' Between LDF, UDF

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called his road show in Thrissur, Kerala, "memorable". He launched an all-out attack against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF), accusing them of "looting" the state for decades by allegedly sharing the spoils.

Addressing a public rally in Palakkad, PM Modi said, "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," he added.

PM Highlights Contradiction in National vs State Alliances

With both Congress and the CPI(M) calling each other the BJP's "B-team", the Prime Minister said, "Today, the truth about who is whose B-team in the upcoming elections needs to be revealed to the people of Kerala. They are in an alliance with each other across the country. Look at Bihar, look at Jharkhand, look at Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Assam. They are together in the INDI alliance; even in Tamil Nadu, they are in alliance. But here in Kerala, the Congress and the Left parties are abusing each other. That's why you should be careful about both of them," said the Prime Minister.

Home Voting Begins Ahead of Polls

Meanwhile, Home voting begins in the state. Polling officials started the process at around 9:30 AM at Poonthura in Thiruvananthapuram Constituency, with mobile teams visiting voters at their residences to facilitate voting through postal ballots. The teams included polling staff, a micro observer, videographer, police personnel and booth-level officers.

The polling for Keralam Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. (ANI)

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