PM Modi Flags Off Kerala’s First Vande Bharat Express
PM Modi Flags Off Kerala’s First Vande Bharat Express
On his two-day visit to God’s own country, Kerala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express train from Thiruvananthapuram. Subsequently, he also inaugurated the Kochi Water Metro, a one-of-its-kind project that connects 10 islands through electric hybrid boats.
The Vande Bharat train will cover 11 districts viz: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod.
The train is touted as an alternative to the ruling Left Democratic Front government’s ambitious semi-high speed rail corridor – SilverLine.
Vande Bharat Express is an indigenously manufactured, semi-high-speed, self-propelled train set. The train has state-of-the-art passenger amenities, providing passengers with a faster, more comfortable and more convenient travel experience.
Amidst addressing a rally in Thiruvananthapuram, PM Modi asserted that the central government lays emphasis on cooperative federalism.
“If Kerala develops, India will develop faster.”
PM Modi was visiting the southern state amidst the BJP’s massive minority outreach programme which apparently has evoked a positive response from a section of priests of various Christian denominations.
The party leaders’ recent visit to Christian families and their breakfast meetings with some priests in the community are being viewed as part of their efforts to reach out to minorities ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
BJP is of the firm belief that
PM Modi’s visit would give an impetus to their ongoing campaign and kickstart the party’s propaganda for the general election.
PM had held a mega roadshow in Kochi on Monday markedly different from his other roadshows.
He got out of his car and began the roadshow on foot, just days following a letter threatening a suicide bomb attack on him that put the Kerala police and central agencies on alert.
News input KV Raman
