Congress leader in Palakkad a threat to women’s safety, says PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday alleged that a Congress leader in Palakkad poses a threat to women’s safety.

Addressing an election rally in Palakkad, the Prime Minister said that a prominent leader from the Indian National Congress in the constituency had been accused of misconduct, and that such incidents reflect the party’s “real face.”

Advertisement

He added that the people of Palakkad are aware of these developments and urged women in Kerala to remain vigilant.

Although not naming him in every instance, Modi’s remarks were seen as referring to allegations against Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil. He cited reports of serious accusations, including misconduct and harassment, and also referred to the suspension of another Congress leader, a councillor in Palakkad municipality, over similar charges.

Contrasting these allegations with the NDA’s approach, Modi highlighted the government’s focus on “women-led development,” mentioning initiatives such as the Nari Shakti Vandan Act aimed at enhancing women’s representation in legislatures.

The Prime Minister urged voters to support the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance, presenting it as an alternative to both the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF), which he accused of misgovernance.

He also appealed to voters to back BJP candidate Shobha Surendran in Palakkad, referring to the previous electoral defeat of E Sreedharan.

“Outside Kerala, Congress and Communist parties are united. Only in Kerala do they pretend to oppose each other. While they call each other the BJP’s ‘B team’ here, they themselves admit that the real ‘A team’ in this election is the BJP,” Modi said.