Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kochi to initiate significant development projects and start the NDA’s election campaign in Kerala. He landed at Cochin International Airport and is set to inaugurate infrastructure projects worth crores and hold a political rally for the National Democratic Alliance before the Assembly elections. PM Modi will also lead a road show at Kaloor and later depart for Tamil Nadu.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other state government officials skipped the official function due to a controversy surrounding the exclusion of State Public Works Minister P. A. Mohammed Riyas from the inauguration ceremony. Riyas, responsible for roads and highways, was reportedly not invited to the event, sparking criticism from the ruling Left Democratic Front for breaking established convention.
The projects include the six-lane Thalappady–Chengala stretch of National Highway 66 and the six-lane Vengalam–Ramanattukara stretch of the Kozhikode bypass, part of the ongoing national highway network expansion in Kerala. The exclusion of the state minister in charge of the department from the event was labeled unprecedented by State General Education Minister V. Sivankutty, who criticized the BJP for potentially seeking sole credit for projects executed in collaboration with the state government.
