Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 31 (PTI) The BJP-led NDA on Tuesday released its manifesto for the April 9 Kerala Assembly polls, promising monetary benefits for needy women and citizens over 70, two free LPG cylinders per year for poor households, an AIIMS for the state, and the protection of places of worship.

The manifesto, released by BJP national president Nitin Nabin at an NDA event here, also promised a high speed railway network connecting the state capital with Kannur, 20,000 litres of free water for every household and “water for Tamil Nadu and safety for Kerala” with regard to the Mullaperiyar dam.

In his speech, after releasing the manifesto, Nabin claimed that decades of successive LDF and UDF governments in Kerala resulted in “negligible industrial growth, economic stagnation and fiscal misgovernance in the state”.

He alleged that the people had paid a heavy price due to the “match-fixing games” played by the two fronts and therefore, the public wanted a change.

This, he said, was evident from the fact that the vote share of the party has increased from 2 per cent in the past to 20 per cent now and it showed that the ‘Lotus’ was ready to bloom in the state.

The BJP president further accused both fronts (LDF and UDF) of following an appeasement policy toward a certain community, which hurt the sentiments of other faiths and beliefs.

Giving details of the manifesto, Nabin said that every woman from poor and BPL households will be provided with a Bhakshya Arogya Suraksha Card with a monthly recharge of Rs 2,500, which they can use at pharmacies and grocery stores.

Besides that, a welfare pension of Rs 3,000 per month will be provided to women heads of poor households, widows and senior citizens above the age of 70 years, he said.

Additionally, two free LPG cylinders per year, one each during Onam and Christmas, will be provided to poor families, he said at the event which was also attended by BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) president Tushar Vellapally and Sabu Jacob, founder of the Twenty20 political party.

The BJP chief further said that concerns exist regarding temple administration in the state under the LDF and UDF administration and that the NDA was committed to ensuring transparency, accountability, and greater participation of devotees in the affairs of shrines in Kerala.

“We will protect Sabarimala, Guruvayoor and all other places of worship by revamping Devaswom Boards to increase participation of devotees in temple management,” he said.

The NDA manifesto said that it will also end corruption through a time-bound CBI enquiry into the Sabarimala gold theft.

It also promised to launch a “Sabarimala Infrastructure Development Mission” to undertake large-scale devotee-centric infrastructure development at the hill-top shrine.

Nabin also assured that a special commission would be constituted to examine temple audit reports of the last 30 years, inspect shrine assets, and take strict action in all cases of misuse of power across Kerala.

The other promises in the manifesto include expanding the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY to cover every Malayalee, providing minimum support price for crops requiring it and completing all phases of the Kochi Metro and introducing new metro services in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.

The manifesto also promises to transform state sponsored education to offer optional English medium over the next 5 years and instal a 125-foot statue of Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, the father of the Malayalam language, at Tirur.

The manifesto further said that an Employment Linked Incentive Scheme would be launched to extend to all enterprises in Kerala a soft loan of Rs 1 lakh for every job created for the residents of the state.

Vizhinjam port will be evolved into a major industrial complex by establishing a ship repair and marine engineering cluster, an elevated double-rail line from Nemom yard to the seaport and a dedicated industrial corridor surrounding it, the manifesto said.

The BJP-led NDA also has a plan to develop the corporations as unique economic engines by enacting a tailored economic vision.

As per that, Thiruvananthapuram will be turned into the IT and Innovation capital, Kochi into the shipbuilding capital of India, Kozhikode the healthcare and medical innovation hub and Thrissur as the capital of Kerala’s cultural tourism.

Of the remaining two corporations, Kollam will be turned into an internationally competitive blue economy cluster prioritising marine exports and Kannur into a defense innovation hub, the manifesto said.

The NDA’s plans for the state include a comprehensive river rejuvenation programme as well to restore water systems and ecological balance across Kerala, Nabin said.

He further said that a Climate Biodiversity Centre would be established in the Western Ghats under an Elephant Protection Mission, along with the setting up of three dedicated elephant hospitals to strengthen wildlife conservation.

The BJP chief said that the manifesto presents a visionary 10-year roadmap to dismantle decades of “political match-fixing” and propel the state into a new era of industrial excellence and social security. PTI HMP KH