PM Modi calls Kerala land of virtues

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday praised Kerala and its people saying it is a land of virtues which is ‘God’s Own Country’.

Addressing thousands of party workers at a public programme held on the beach here in connection with the BJP national council, he said that while visiting the Gulf countries and holding talks with the heads of state they always mention about the hard-working Keralites.

On the steps taken by the union government to help stranded Keralites, Mr Modi said that when many nurses from the state were trapped in the Gulf, the central government took steps to bring them back to their state.

The Prime Minister also referred to historic legends like Zamorin, Kunjali Marakkar and Pazhassi Raja in his speech which started in Malayalam.

Meanwhile, exposing the holes in the VVIP security system, motorcades of VIPs were trapped in the massive crowd after the programme for about half an hour. While helpless security personnel looked on, Union finance minister Arun Jaitly stepped down and walked among the crowd with the security men covering him. The vehicles of many, including defence minister Monohar Parrikar, BJP leader L.K. Advani, BJP national president Amit Shah and chief ministers of various states were held up. The motorcades were also stopped at the railway gate.