Kochi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his two-day trip to Kerala by announcing a slew of projects and touting the BJP as the real alternative for Kerala that can bring prosperity to the state.
"I am very happy to be in Kerala on the occasion of Onam. I wish you all a prosperous Onam. Kerala is a beautiful state, blessed with cultural and natural beauty," the prime minister said in Malayalam.
He was addressing a meeting arranged by the state BJP at Nedumbassery.
He is in Kerala to inaugurate Phase I-A of the Kochi Metro and commission the country's first indigenously built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.
"Projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore were implemented in Kerala under the Central Government. Our focus is the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), over 2 lakh houses were sanctioned in Kerala. Of those, around 1 lakh houses have been constructed," Modi said.
He also said development in states ruled by BJP was faster. "Such states have a twin-engine government working in their favour," he added. "BJP can bring such prosperity to the state too," he added to a loud cheer.