Kumar Bahukhandi
In this screengrab from a video posted on March 11, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is felicitated by BJP leaders during a public meeting, in Ernakulam, Kerala. (@NarendraModi/YT via PTI Photo)
Vows to make Kerala an AI hub to start poll campaign
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the people of Kerala are ready to move past the traditional Left-UDF politics in the state. Sounding the political bugle in the election-bound state, Modi unveiled development projects worth over ₹10,800 crores, vowed to make Kerala an AI hub and slammed UDF-LDF politics.
Speaking at a gathering of NDA workers in Kochi to kick off the campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, Modi noted that the BJP has built political momentum in Kerala in recent years. He pointed to the party’s win in the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat and the recent victory in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation as signs of this shift. “These developments show a change in Kerala’s political mood, and this trend will spread across the state,” he said.
The Prime Minister remarked that the Congress lacks faith in the talent of Kerala’s youth and the nation as a whole. Without directly naming Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Modi said the “yuvraj” of the Congress is unaware of the impressive achievements of Indian youth in the drone manufacturing sector. He noted that many companies, including startups by Kerala’s young entrepreneurs, are producing drones.
According to Modi, the Congress yuvraj is stuck in his own small world and fails to see the development happening across the country, unable to appreciate the talent of Kerala’s youth.
The Prime Minister asserted that if the BJP-led NDA comes to power in the state, it promises to nurture the talent of youth, foster an environment for investment and eliminate obstacles like corruption, red tape, hartal mafias, and land mafias. “We will make Kerala a hub for AI and future technologies and build an ecosystem for skill development,” he said.
The Prime Minister remarked that in Kerala, while the UDF and the LDF differ in name, their actions are the same. He accused both of spreading communalism, hindering development and damaging the industrial sector. He pointed out that the solar scam was a major issue during the UDF’s tenure, and now under the LDF, the CMRL corruption case has emerged.
Speaking on Sabarimala, Modi alleged that the LDF was involved in gold theft and that UDF leaders faced charges of selling the stolen gold.
In his address, Modi repeated his claim that the Congress, which led the UDF, had now turned into MMC (Muslim League, Maoist Congress). He said the massive crowd in Kochi showed the momentum was shifting in favour of the BJP-NDA in Kerala. Earlier, hundreds of BJP workers welcomed Modi during his roadshow at Kaloor in Kochi.
The Prime Minister waved to party members and supporters as he travelled in an open vehicle from near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to the venue for the inauguration of various development projects. The roadshow energised party workers ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.
At a function at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi, the Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over ₹10,800 crores, calling it a chance to boost Kerala’s growth.
The event saw the launch of initiatives from various Central ministries, including petroleum and natural gas, road transport and highways, rural development, new and renewable energy and railways. The development projects include a ₹5,500 crores polypropylene plant at BPCL’s Kochi refinery, a six-lane Thalappady–Chengala stretch of National Highway 66 and the six-lane Vengalam–Ramanattukara section of the Kozhikode bypass. In the railway sector, the Prime Minister inaugurated projects worth ₹142 crores, flagged off the Palakkad–Pollachi train service and opened three redeveloped stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme—Shoranur Junction, Kuttippuram and Changanassery.
In his address, the Prime Minister said the Centre has approved the renaming of Kerala as “Keralam”, fulfilling a long-standing wish of the people. “The name Keralam has brought joy and happiness to the people, which was visible on their faces,” he said while inaugurating the golden jubilee celebrations of the All Kerala Dheevara Sabha in Kochi.
The Kerala government skipped the inaugural ceremony for two NH 66 stretches after public works minister P.A. Mohamad Riyas was left off the guest list. Instead, the state held its own inauguration for the Vengalam-Ramanattukara NH stretch. Though chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was invited, he opted out and was joined by local self-government minister M.B. Rajesh and power minister K. Krishnankutty.
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar attended the Prime Minister’s event, sparking chatter, as he criticised the ministers for boycotting and accused them of turning it into a political issue.
