Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a roadshow in Kochi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala, held a mega roadshow in Kochi this evening, markedly different from his other roadshows. PM Modi got out of his car and began the roadshow on foot, just days after a letter threatening a suicide bomb attack on him had the Kerala police and central agencies on alert.
Dressed in traditional Kerala attire - a kasavu mundu, a shawl and a kurta - the Prime Minister was seen waving to the people on both sides of the road and atop buildings along the route. The nearly two-kilometre route was under a tight security with thousands of police personnel being deployed to ensure PM Modi's safety.
The letter in Malayalam, allegedly written by a Kochi resident, was received at the office of BJP state president K Surendran who in turn had handed it over to the police earlier this month.
The news of the letter came out on Saturday after an intelligence report was telecast by some media organisations. Soon after, Mr Surendran said he had handed over the letter a week ago to the state police chief.
Mr Surendran alleged that the "leak of the intelligence report" from the police was a grave mistake and it should be probed. The 49-page report gave details of the names of the officials on duty, their roles, the detailed programme chart of the Prime Minister among other things.
Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan also slammed the alleged leak and said it was a serious matter. "The Chief Minister should explain how a report on the security detail of the Prime Minister was leaked and going viral on WhatsApp. This means the state home department is in shambles," he alleged.
PM Modi's roadshow is also being seen as show of strength in the southern state where there is nil presence of the BJP. The party is keenly looking at Kerala to make inroads ahead of the 2024 general elections.
The Prime Minister has a very busy schedule in Kerala where he will be inaugurating projects worth more than Rs 3,200 crore.
He will flag off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod tomorrow. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Kochi Water Metro, a one of its kind project that would connect 10 islands around Kochi through battery-operated electric hybrid boats for seamless connectivity with the city.