Gold smuggling case in Kerala the ‘biggest govt.-sponsored scam' in the country, says Amit Shah
Mr. Shah was addressing ward-level leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Viksit Kerala convention, which also set the stage for the formal launch of the party's campaign for the crucial local body elections scheduled for later this year.
Both the LDF and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which have alternately ruled in Kerala, have a track record of corruption and appeasement and vote bank politics, Mr. Shah said. While the people of Kerala gave them ample opportunities, the two fronts gave in return only violence, corruption, creation of vote banks, appeasement, and the fostering of anti-national elements.
'Countless scams'
The LDF rule has been plagued by countless scams including those related to the cooperative societies, the LIFE Mission, PPE kits and the Exalogic controversy, but the gold smuggling case ranks as the biggest government-sponsored scam, he said. UDF rule, which he described as being on the point of 'winding up,' also has been infested with scams, according to him.
He said that the time is now ripe for the BJP to come to power in Kerala. In the 2025 local body elections, the BJP will contest in over 21,000 wards, with the aim of securing over 25% of the votes. In the 2026 State Assembly elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will seek to come to power in the State, he said.
'In the 2014 elections, Kerala gave 11% votes to the BJP. In 2019 it rose to 16% and in 2024, to 20%. Now it is time for the BJP to make a government here,' he said.
BJP is no more a 'growing party' in Kerala. The party has now considerable reach in every booth in the State, he said. He appealed to the people of the State to stop choosing between LDF and UDF, and vote for the BJP. 'Viksit Kerala' is impossible without the BJP, he said.
On Viksit Kerala
He described corruption-free governance, discrimination-free implementation of government programmes, and holding Kerala's development above vote bank politics as the three foundations of the concept of Viksit Kerala. While both BJP and CPI(M) are cadre parties, the critical difference between them is that the CPI(M) places the development of its cadres above that of Kerala, Mr. Shah said. For the BJP, 'developed Kerala' holds priority over the development of its cadres, he said.
BJP State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who presided, said the party State unit would launch an intense and united 'Mission 2025' campaign over the next four months in the run-up to the local body polls.
Minister of State for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry George Kurian, party general secretaries M.T. Ramesh, Shobha Surendran and S. Suresh, senior leaders K. Surendran, V. Muraleedharan, P.K. Krishnadas and A.N. Radhakrishnan were among those present. P.C. George, retired IPS officer R. Sreelekha, Padmaja Venugopal and Anil Antony were also present.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Shah inaugurated the new office of the State unit of the BJP 'Mararji Bhavan' near Aristo Junction.
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