PM's big South India push: Roadshows, public rallies
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday wrapped up his whirlwind tour of South India by holding a roadshow in Kerala and a public rally in Tamil Nadu, marking the continuation of the BJP's southern outreach, as he made a strong election pitch for the party, a month ahead of Lok Sabha polls. Over the last five days, Modi visited all of south, held roadshows, made an aggressive bid for his party, and took on the rivals with full gusto, especially the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, and the BRS in Telangana that was in power for 10 years. He also stepped up his attack on the opposition bloc India over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Shakti' remark.
Not just through the week, but PM Modi had made repeated stopovers in multiple southern destinations in the past few months, crisscrossing the region, in a bid to get a firmer foothold for the saffron party. He combined official engagements with visits to places of Hindu religious significance.
But for Karnataka, the region has eluded the BJP of many electoral gains. Kerala and Tamil Nadu even bucked the national trend in 2014 and 2019, cold-shouldering an otherwise resurgent and powerful BJP that swept across the country in the polls.
Corruption, dynasty politics, and graft were the focus of his addresses while attacking the Congress and other INDIA bloc constituents, even as he made Gandhi's 'Shakti' remark his key talking point for two days. Gandhi's comments also drew a sharp retort from the Prime Minister during his public rallies.
Roadshows in non-metro cities like
