A roadshow led by Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah at the district headquarters here on Saturday turned out to be a massive show of strength of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency which witnesses a tight three-cornered battle of the ballot. Hundreds of NDA workers and supporters took part in the roadshow despite heavy rain.
Addressing the crowd from an open jeep, Mr. Shah said NDA candidate K. Surendran represented not only the alliance but believers across the country.
‘A mission’
Mr. Surendran’s candidature was a mission and no believer could forgive the wrong doings of the Communist government at Sabarimala. As many as 5,000 Ayyappa devotees were sent to jail. “Only 2,000 of them could get bail till this date and all the remaining are still in jail.” This could never be a forgiveable thing and the people would naturally react against it, he said.
Mr. Shah said the BJP would explore every possibility to make the Sabarimala pilgrimage smooth and trouble-free.
P.C. George, MLA and Janapaksham leader; P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, BJP State president; A. Padmakumar, Bharat Dharma Jana Sena vice president; S. Sreesanth, cricketer; Kaushik Babu, Telugu actor and Swami Ayyappan television serial fame; J. Prameeladevi, former member of the Kerala State Women’s Commission; and Mr. Surendran accompanied the party president on the open jeep.
Addressing the crowd, Mr. George said the State had never witnessed such a government that had relentlessly hunted down Ayyappa devotees. If E.M.S. Namboodiripad was the first Communist Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan would be the State’s last Communist Chief Minister, he said.
A large number of women and children took part in the roadshow that began from the General Hospital junction. It moved through Central Junction to culminate at Aban Junction. However, the public meeting planned in the town was abandoned owing to the heavy rain.
