Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the Congress and the CPI-M two sides of the same coin who engage in friendly competition in Kerala, yet remain partners in Delhi.

In an interview published on Sunday in a noted Malayalam daily, Prime Minister Modi alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi silently approves of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s corruption.

Replying to a question of Rahul Gandhi why Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has not been questioned or jailed by the Central agencies despite multiple corruption charges being levelled against him, Modi said, “In Kerala, the Congress’ Yuvraj wants to put Pinarayi Vijayan in jail, yet in Delhi, they unite to protest action against corruption.”

“When I spoke about the deal between the chief minister and his daughter with CMRL; the Yuvraj was silent. In the gold smuggling case, when I raised the issue of links between the chief minister’s office and the smuggling racket; the Yuvraj was silent. When I exposed the looting by CPI-M-run cooperative banks and promised to return the money to the common people, even considering the attachment of properties of those involved; once again, the Yuvraj was silent,” PM Modi said.

To a query why South India seems to be a difficult terrain for the BJP, the prime minister said, “The narrative is not factually correct. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP was the single largest party in southern India. Until recently, we had a government in Karnataka. We are a part of the government in Puducherry. We have always been an important force in Telangana. Therefore, I do not agree with the binary view that the BJP lacks a presence in the South. This narrative suits the perspective of a few political analysts, but the facts tell a different story.”

Slamming the LDF government in Kerala, the PM said, “The fact of the matter is that the LDF in Kerala has transformed into everything we associate with the Congress Party—dynasty politics, corruption, and so on.”

He said Congress now finds itself at odds with the essence of India’s identity and has deviated from the ideals of Gandhiji. “Today, Congress finds itself at odds with the very essence of India’s millennia-old identity. They deny the existence of Bhagwan Ram, reject invitations to the Pran Prathishtha of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, mock Dwarkadhish, and vow to oppose Shakti. It is ironic that a party that once prided itself on embodying Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals now aligns with those who call for the eradication of Sanatan Dharma.In recent months, we have witnessed INDI Alliance partners liken Sanatan Dharma to diseases like dengue and malaria. This depth of discomfort reveals their animosity, resentment, and shallow understanding of Sanatan values,” PM Modi said.

He said both the UDF and the LDF in Kerala have perpetuated a culture of mis-governance and have failed to take meaningful steps toward improving and diversifying Kerala’s economy.

“This mismanagement has resulted in debt reaching alarming levels, forcing the Kerala government to borrow money even to pay its employees! Instead of utilising funds for constructing infrastructure, which would create more jobs, the government is focused on spending money on hiring more personal staff for its ministers and paying them lifetime pensions. Meanwhile, they make PSC rank holders wait for years for offer letters because they do not have the capacity to pay these meritorious youth,” he said

The PM said the 21st century is not just India’s century, it is also the century of India’s youth. “The 21st century is not just India’s century, it is also the century of India’s youth. To fulfil the aspirations of our youth, we need to make big positive changes. We are laser-focused on our goal for Viksit Bharat and are working 24×7 for 2047,” the PM said

In another interview given to a Malayalam news channel, PM Modi said Kerala’s argument that the Central government is not providing financial allocation is wrong. “During the UPA government, Kerala was allocated Rs 460,000 crore, but this government gave Rs 1 lakh fifty thousand crore,” he said

On the tussle between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, the PM said, “The state government should respect Governors. “Even hostile countries provide security to diplomatic representatives. It is the duty of the state to respect the Governor who has a constitutional status”. Praising Arif Mohammad Khan he said, “He is a person who bears a lot.”

Speaking about the Karivannur bank scam in Kerala, he said a mechanism will be formed to reimburse those who lost the money. He also mentioned the potential of Kerala as a tourist destination and he will put effort to promote Kerala tourism.