Committed to ferrying Indians to safety: PM Modi amid West Asia conflict

PRime government minister Narendra Modi on midweek appealed to the people non to pay off attending to rumours or panic over LPG supply disruptions caused by the ongoing war in West Asia as he accused the Congress of making provocative statements and asserted that the government was committed to ferrying Indians to safety. Track updates on Iran US warIn a series of events in poll-bound Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Modi also hailed the achievements of the Union government, accused the two state governments of corruption, and said the National Democratic Alliance will do well in the upcoming assembly elections.Also read: India among 16 economies under scanner as Trump administration opens probe into unfair trade, manufacturing practices“I understand that you may be concerned about the prevailing situation in the Gulf and West Asia, particularly about the safety of our citizens. You must remember that we have a government at the Centre committed to ferrying Indians to safety…All our friendly countries are assisting our citizens and we are indebted to them. But it is unfortunate that the Congress is playing politics over it. It is making provocative statements. It wants the situation to worsen so that it can laugh and make reels about Modi,” the PM said in Kochi.Also read: Shocking video shows assassination attempt at Farooq Abdullah, Omar says details sketchy; attacker held“Even at the time of war, the Congress and the Left ecosystems are creating panic and fear. I urge the people to remain alert,” he said.Later in the day, in Tiruchirappalli, Modi urged that only verified information be disseminated.“I would like to appeal to people, let us only spread correct, verified information…There is no need to panic or pay attention to rumours. In any situation, we have seen how our government always puts the interests of India above everything…we will navigate every situation successfully,’ he said.In Kerala, Modi claimed credit for tweaking the name of the state to ‘Keralam’, unveiled a slew of development projects in the fields of petroleum, railways, and roads worth around ₹10,000 crore, and appealed to voters to choose a BJP-led NDA government instead of the repeat Left Democratic Front-United Democratic Front cycle of regimes.“Changing the name of the state is a tribute to the emotions of the people. The renaming is a tribute to the glorious history and tradition of the Malayalam language,” he said. In February, the Union cabinet approved the proposal to rename the state as ‘Keralam’. The Kerala assembly had unanimously passed a resolution in August 2023 to rename the state as ‘Keralam’ in all languages.Also read: States crack down on LPG hoarding, black-marketing as Iran-US war fuels shortage fearsModi said that the state did not achieve the kind of progress and development it deserved despite ample resources in culture, nature, technology and talent. “The LDF and the UDF think their opportunity for power comes every five years. That’s why they do not work for the development of the state. That’s why projects get stalled. It is important to break this pattern in Kerala. You have given the LDF and UDF 70 years. Please give the BJP-led NDA five years. You will see glimpses of ‘vikasita Keralam’. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.“The LDF and the UDF may vary in names, but they are partners in crime, corruption, communalism, halting developing and destroying industries. While the UDF is dependent on the Jamaat-e-Islami and wants to break the peace of Kerala, the LDF has age-old ties with the PDP whose leader was involved in extremist acts. You must remain alert about both forces,” he added.Also read: Attacks on ships, tankers in Strait of Hormuz continue as US-Iran war rages on | Full listModi said the “prince” of the Congress party, a reference to Rahul Gandhi, didn’t know that the youth of Kerala and across India are developing drones. “The Congress has no trust or faith in the youth of this country. The Congress’s yuvaraj can never fully realise the potential of the youth of Kerala,” he said.Earlier in the day, Modi addressed the golden jubilee celebrations of the Akhila Kerala Dheevara Sabha, an outfit representing the fisherfolk community in the state. He also undertook a roadshow from Marine Drive to JLN Stadium in Kochi.In Tiruchirappalli, the PM slammed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam rule in Tamil Nadu and said that people wanted a government that worked for every family, and not just for one family. “In DMK rule, everything starts and ends with one family…In 2021, people of Tamil Nadu brought DMK to power; and instead of taking it as a responsibility, they have betrayed the mandate,” he said.Further, just like all rivers go to sea, all corrupt money in the state goes to one family, he alleged.The DMK was “infamous for their scientific corruption” model, he said, and alleged that “ministers may change, MLAs may change, but power remains only with one dynasty.”On the international airport status for Madurai, he said the Centre brought the world to the doorstep of the city. “The whole of Tamil Nadu has made up its mind to throw out the DMK regime.”With inputs from PTI