Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the central government has given priority to the safety of Indians living in conflict areas amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia, where a significant number of people come from Kerala.
Addressing an election rally in Palakkad this afternoon, the Prime Minister stressed that protecting the interests of Indian citizens is the top priority of the BJP-led NDA government. He hit out at the Congress on the issue, accusing it of politicizing a sensitive issue and making “dangerous” statements.
He further alleged that the Congress is trying to score political gains at the cost of the security of about one crore Indians living in the Gulf countries.
Prime Minister Modi said, “At this time, all eyes are on the ongoing war in West Asia. Our government is constantly striving to ensure that the impact of this war on India is as minimal as possible. Protecting the interests of Indians is of paramount importance for the BJP-NDA government. You should also remember how Congress is playing politics in this sensitive matter; the kind of statements Congress is making are dangerous. Congress is threatening the lives of about 1 crore Indians living in Gulf countries. She wants to put it in so that she can take political advantage from it.”
Highlighting the government’s response to the West Asia conflict, the Prime Minister said India is closely monitoring the situation and working actively to minimize its impact on the country. He further said that he is in constant touch with the leaders of the countries affected by the conflict to ensure the safety of Indians, especially those from Kerala, working in the sector. He said that the Indian Embassy is working round the clock to assist the citizens in the affected areas.
The Prime Minister said, “Many people from Kerala are working in war-affected areas. I have been in constant touch with the heads of state of all these countries since the war started. All these countries are giving priority to the safety of Indians trapped in war zones. Indian embassies are working day and night to ensure that our brothers and sisters there do not face any kind of difficulty.”
Stepping up his criticism, Prime Minister Modi accused both the Congress and the Left parties of misgovernance and claimed that a pattern of mismanagement was visible everywhere during their tenure. He alleged failures of Congress governments across the country, citing examples of Left-ruled states like West Bengal and Tripura.
He said, “Congress and the Left have a history of ruining everything wherever they come to power. The entire country knows what the Left did in Bengal and Tripura; everyone has also seen what the Congress did in the entire country. Kerala has also become a victim of their devious plans.”
The Prime Minister said, “The news of delay in payment of salaries of government employees is coming from here.”
Referring to Kerala, he pointed to the recent controversies related to delay in dearness allowance (DA) and leave encashment of government employees. He argued that while the Congress criticizes the Left in Kerala, similar governance problems persist in Congress-ruled states like Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, where development has stalled and economic challenges persist.
The Prime Minister said, “Recently, a big controversy broke out in Kerala over the pending payments of dearness allowance and leave encashment of government employees. Congress blames the Left for this, but even where the Congress is in power, the situation is bad. Just look at the neighboring state of Karnataka; most of the development works have come to a standstill there too. Himachal Pradesh is also struggling with the economic crisis. This is the governance model of the Congress.”