PM Narendra Modi to address two rallies in Kerala

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address BJP workers at a public meeting in Pathanamthitta the central Kerala district where the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple is located on January 6 He will again visit the state on January 27 to inaugurate a conference of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha the youth wing of the saffron party in Thrissur BJP sources here saidThe selection of Pathanamthitta as the venue for the prime ministers public meeting assumes significance in the wake of the boiling Sabarimala womens entry issue and the continuing protest of the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP over itThe two meetings to be addressed by Modi will also virtually turn out to be the curtain raiser to the BJPs campaigns for the coming Lok Sabha elections in the southern state Modis visit is expected to give a boost to the BJP state leadership which is facing intense criticism from various quarters for calling backtoback hartals on the Sabarimala rowThe indefinite fast staged by the party leaders in front of the State Secretariat demanding the lifting of prohibitory orders and other restrictions at Sabarimala is yet to create any desired impactIn a recent interaction with party workers in the state Modi while referring to the Sabarimala issue had told party workers to express their views firmly to convince people while following democratic and constitutional normsBJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai said besides the prime minister BJP national chief Amit Shah will address workers in Palakkad on December 31The prime minister will take part in two programmes one in Pathanamthitta and the second in Thrissur The upcoming Lok Sabha polls is the focus As Pathanamthitta happens to be the centre of activity of the Sabarimala pilgrimage the meeting assumes great significance he told PTIMeanwhile the state and core committee meetings of the BJP held here Wednesday had decided to continue their protest against the LDF governments stand to implement the Supreme Court verdict which permitted women of all age groups at the Ayyappa temple and also against restrictions imposed thereThe Kerala BJP unit has been on an indefinite relay fast in front of the Secretariat here since December 3 over various demands including withdrawal of prohibitory orders and reducing police restrictions at the hilltop shrineSenior party leader C K Padmanabhan who was on an indefinite fast for nine days was arrested on Wednesday and moved to the Medical College hospital in the city after his health deterioratedBJP state general secretary Shobha Surendran took over the relay fast after the arrest of PadmanabhanEarlier BJP general secretary A N Radhakrishnan was on an indefinite fast for eight days The state had witnessed massive protests by devotees and rightwing groups opposing the entry of girls and women in the 1050 age group into the Sabarimala temple since the Kerala government decided to implement the apex court order Over a dozen women have so far made unsuccessful attempts to trek the holy hillsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Except for the change in the headline the story has been provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE without any verification or editing from our side Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever