PM Modi Flags Off Amrit Bharat Trains, Unveils Mega Projects; Vows to Recover ‘Looted’ Kerala Funds
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a slew of development projects in Thiruvananthapuram, flagged off three Amrit Bharat Express trains and a new passenger service, and launched a blistering attack on the ruling LDF and opposition UDF over alleged corruption, promising that a BJP government would recover every rupee “looted” from Kerala’s people and turn the state into a startup and innovation hub ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Amrit Bharat Express Trains Rolled Out
At a public event near Putharikandam Maidan, Modi flagged off three new Amrit Bharat Express trains—Thiruvananthapuram Central–Tambaram, Nagercoil Junction–Mangaluru Junction, and Thiruvananthapuram North–Charlapalli—along with a Thrissur–Guruvayur passenger service at 10:45 AM.
Railways officials said the Amrit Bharat services, with general and sleeper coaches, are aimed at offering affordable, higher-capacity long-distance travel and strengthening Kerala’s rail linkages with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana.
Ceremonial functions were also held at Thiruvananthapuram Central, Thiruvananthapuram North and Thrissur stations where the PM’s address was live-streamed before the inaugural rakes rolled out to cheering crowds.
Infra Push: From Rail to Innovation Hubs
Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated projects spanning rail connectivity, urban livelihood missions, science and innovation facilities, citizen-centric digital services and advanced healthcare infrastructure across Kerala.
Key announcements included the CSIR–NIIST Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Hub in Thiruvananthapuram and initiatives to promote startups and deep-tech ventures, pitched as building blocks for Kerala’s youth-driven growth story.
The Prime Minister also launched the PM SVANidhi credit card and disbursed small business loans to street vendors and urban poor beneficiaries, projecting it as proof that the Centre is directly empowering citizens bypassing “middlemen”.
Sharp Attack on LDF-UDF, ‘Looted Money’ Promise
Addressing a packed rally, Modi accused the Left Democratic Front and United Democratic Front of running “a system of loot” through cooperative bank scams and alleged that the savings of Kerala’s poor and middle class were siphoned off by “LDF–UDF nexus”.
He told voters that if given a chance, the BJP would “recover every penny from those who looted Kerala” and branded the opposition as an “MMC alliance”, claiming they had no agenda for development while invoking his “Modi ki guarantee” slogan for clean governance.
Modi framed the BJP’s recent win in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation as the foundation stone for the party’s first full-fledged government in Kerala, likening the moment to Gujarat’s political turning point in the late 1980s.
Election Optics and Start-up Pitch
With assembly polls nearing, the visit doubled up as the formal launch of BJP’s Kerala campaign, where Modi promised a 25-year roadmap to turn the state into a “viksit Kerala” powered by startups, technology and blue economy sectors like fisheries and coastal tourism.
BJP leaders showcased the induction of Kitex-backed Twenty20 into the NDA fold and highlighted central schemes such as PM-Kisan and PM-SVANidhi as examples of funds reaching people directly, contrasting it with what they called decades of misrule by LDF and UDF.
Security, Crowd Management and Local Response
Traffic restrictions were enforced in Thiruvananthapuram city from morning hours, with tight security cordons around the rally venue and railway stations as thousands of BJP workers and supporters poured in from nearby districts.
While BJP cadres hailed the event as a “turning point” for Kerala politics, rival parties dismissed the promises as poll-time rhetoric and questioned whether the new trains and projects would translate into jobs and tangible benefits on the ground.
