Kerala polls: VS Achuthanandan says PM Modi has turned into a globetrotting youngster

Kochi: Known for his sarcastic jibes at the political opponents, CPI(M) veteran V S Achuthanandan on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned into “Ulakam Chuttum Valiban” (globetrotting youngster) after he failed to fulfil his Lok Sabha poll promise of bringing back blackmoney stashed abroad. A day after BJP announced Modi’s tour plan in poll-bound Kerala, the 93-year-old CPI(M) leader launched a stinging attack on the Prime Minister, alleging that his government was dividing people on communal lines to reap political benefits. “Modi had said he would bring back blackmoney invested illegally in tax havens abroad to distribute to the poor if he becomes the Prime Minister.

“He asked every poor in the country to open bank accounts so that he can deposit Rs 15 lakh each in their accounts. He has swallowed all those poll promises and to escape from this humiliation, he is undertaking foreign tours,” he said while addressing an election convention of CPI(M) candidate M Swaraj at nearby Thrippunithura. “You have heard of ‘Ulakam Chuttum Valiban’. Now Modi has become a new ‘Ulakam Chuttum Valiban’,” he said. ‘Ulakam Chuttum Valiban’ is a Malayalam translation of a 1973 Tamil blockbuster film ‘Ulagam Sutrum Valiban’, starring yesteryears matinee idol ‘MGR’ (M G Ramachandran). Accusing the Modi government of taking action against university students who raise their voices against its policies, the opposition leader asked the people to give a strong message to it through the ballot. “BJP’s misrule is a threat to the country. They are dividing people on communal lines. They are destroying this nation,” he added.