Sounding the poll bugle for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections down south, in Kerala, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday unleashed a stinging attack on the CPI(M) and the Congress, which have long alternated at the hustings in the southern state, saying the former has been rejected across the world while the latter was losing relevance in the country.

In a barb at the two parties for fighting the recent Tripura Assembly elections in alliance, the Union Home Minister said while the CPI(M) and the Congress don’t see eye to eye in Kerala, they came together in the Northeast state for the sake of “their existence”.

“Voters in Kerala have for long have been giving opportunities to the Congress and the Communists to rule the state. However, the Communists are struggling for relevance across the world. The entire world has rejected the Communists while the entire country has pushed the Congress on the verge of oblivion. I urge the people to give chance to the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. We will strive to bring development to Kerala as well as across the country. While the Congress and the CPI(M) fight elections in Kerala as bitter rivals, they came together for the Tripura polls. They joined forces to fight the BJP, in a desperate quest to stay relevant, and yet, the people of Tripura brought us back with a full majority,” Shah said at a public meeting in the southern state on Sunday.

Invoking the ban on Popular Front of India, which was imposed last year, the Union Home minister said neither the Congress nor the CPI(M) welcomed the move because of their vote-bank politics.

“The BJP government put a complete ban on the PFI to free Kerala from the violence perpetrated by them. We took this big decision in the interest of national security, but neither the Communists nor the Congress welcomed it. They are silent because of vote-bank concerns. We do not practice vote bank politics. We banned the outfit which practices violence and works against the country,” Shah said.

Lashing out at the Congress for the slogans raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by some of its leaders in the national capital on February 23, Shah said the more are the abuses hurled against PM Modi, the more will the lotus bloom.

“The Congress has reduced the level of public discourse in the country. Recently, some big leaders of Congress chanted slogans against the Prime Minister — ‘Modi Teri Kabar Khudegi’. I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that the more you abuse PM Modi and slander us, the more the lotus will bloom. The people of Kerala neither accept violence nor the politics of violence by the Communists,” he said.

Also hitting out at the Congress over the issue of security, Shah said there was inaction during the UPA regime on terror attacks while the government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gives a befitting reply to Pakistan for terror perpetrated from across the border.

“PM Modi has made the country secure over the last nine years. Earlier, during the UPA government, there were frequent attacks perpetrated from across the border, in Pakistan. Terrorists would behead our soldiers and the Congress government would be silent for reasons of vote-bank politics. Under PM Modi’s rule, Uri and Pulwama happened but both attacks were avenged by our soldiers, who went across the border and carried out a surgical strike on terrorists,” he said.

Shah urged the people of the state to vote PM Modi back in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“This rally has been organised in preparation for the 2024 elections. I have come to urge the people of Kerala with folded hands to give PM Modi a chance once again in 2024 elections and elect our representatives to the Parliament. The country has progressed more in 9 years under PM Modi than it did in 70 previous years,” he said.

Detaling the central projects being implemented in Kerala, he said, “Kochi Metro Phase 1 has been inaugurated and for the second phase, Rs 1950 crore has been allocated. For two Smart City projects, Rs 773 crores have been spent. Apart from this, Rs 55,000 crore has also been approved for national highways,” he said.