Nitin Gadkari to grant Rs 60,000cr for Kerala

Kollam: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said he would sanction a grant of Rs 60,000 crore for Kerala.

Gadkari, who was addressing the Jan Raksha Yatra here, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not indulge in politics in matters conceding national interest and promoted the idea of `Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas`.

"Our party does not indulge in politics in matters conceding national interest. Tomorrow, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will be meeting me at 11a.m. I have announced a sum of Rs. 60,000 crore for Kerala. Whatever CPM, Congress and other opposition leaders have asked me to do, I have done it. The BJP believes in democracy. We were perceived as communal, but this is something that we are against. `Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas` is our motto, and going forward, we would like to promote the same. We are sure the BJP will flourish in Kerala as well, like the rest of the country," Gadkari said.

Gadkari also hit out at the Communist Party of India-Marxist CPI(M) and said their governance would soon end in the state.

"I can foresee the fall of the CPI(M). Their traces will be removed in entirety, and their defeat is assured in the upcoming elections. Mark my words, even the people of Kerala are rejecting their governance," he said.

The union minister also accused the CPI(M) of being `promoters of violence` and urged the people of the state to dethrone the present government.

"In the case of China, Russia, and Hungary, communism and its ideologies have been rejected. Here too, the situation will be the same. In West Bengal, their leadership is being rejected; in Tripura, they are just present for namesake. The CPM is a promoter of violence, and resort to the same when opposed. This is why 120 of our workers were killed, and those who need to be taking care of law and order are supporting it. This is unfortunate for democracy, and the people of Kerala should oppose this government," the union minister said.

On countering terrorism, Gadkari stated that Pakistan, after being defeated three times by India, began exporting terrorism, due to which innocent people were being killed. However, due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistan, Gadkari said, was isolated by the global economy.