NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Centre is working to ensure the ongoing war in the Middle East has minimal impact on India and that the safety of Indians in conflict-hit regions remains the government’s top priority, while accusing the Congress of making “dangerous” statements on the issue for “political gains”.Addressing an NDA election rally in poll-bound Kerala’s Palakkad, PM Modi said the government was closely monitoring the conflict, particularly given the large number of Indians, including many from Kerala, working in the Gulf and other affected regions.“At this time, everyone’s attention is on the war going on in Middle East. Our government is continuously working to ensure that its impact on India is minimal,” PM Modi said.He added that protecting Indian citizens remained the BJP-led NDA government’s priority.
‘In constant touch with the heads of all these countries’
PM Modi said he had been in constant touch with leaders of countries affected by the conflict since the war began and that Indian missions were operating continuously to assist citizens in the region.“Since the beginning of the war, I have been in constant touch with the heads of all these countries. All nations are giving priority to the safety of Indians stranded in the conflict zones,” he said.“To ensure that our brothers and sisters there do not face any hardship, Indian embassies are also working day and night. The protection of Indians’ interests is the top priority for the BJP-NDA government,” he added.PM Modi said many people from Kerala were working in the war-affected areas and that the government was trying to minimise the conflict’s impact on India.
Targets Congress over remarks on ‘sensitive issue’
The Prime Minister used the Middle East crisis to sharpen his attack on the Congress, alleging that its remarks on the issue could endanger Indians living in Gulf countries.“You must also remember the kind of statements the Congress is making on this sensitive issue — they are dangerous. Congress wants the lives of nearly one crore Indians living in Gulf countries to be put at risk, so that it can gain political advantage from it,” PM Modi said.The prime minister also launched a strong attack on Kerala’s two main political fronts — the LDF and UDF — accusing them of corruption, vote-bank politics and poor governance.“For decades the LDF and the UDF have together looted Kerala… in this arrangement, our Kerala has remained trapped,” PM Modi said.He also said, “Keralam has been trapped for decades between the two masks of selfish politics. On one side, LDF, on the other UDF, on one side Communists, on the other Congress, one corrupt, the other mega-corrupt, one communal, the other mega-communal.”PM Modi claimed that the BJP-NDA was emerging as a credible alternative in the state and said Kerala was “sending a message of change”.Kerala Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4.The current 140-member Assembly’s tenure is set to end on May 23, and around 2.7 crore electors are expected to vote.
