Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a master politician. He is adept in timing and knows very well when to pounce on a situation. Such was his latest sojourn to Kerala for two days. Never have a prime minister received such an electrifying acceptance among the people of Kerala. The merrier it is for BJP since Kerala remains an unbreakable bulwark with the population perpetually showing strong aversion to the saffron party. Prime Minister’s journey was all drama from the very start. The vital security plan got leaked just days before his arrival. SPG minding the fall in standards of Kerala police superseded control of the security but feared largely a Kishida-like murder attempt at PM Modi in Kochi. Security was beefed up thus.

The thousands swarming the streets of Kochi placed feeble hopes of seeing PM Modi outside his Range Rover Sentinel SUV because of the high-security alert. However, PM Modi gave an outre. He decided to walk among the people, even confounding the SPGs deftly monitoring the place.

While in this oratory masterclass, PM Modi announced a Rs 3200 crore help to give a wanted facelift to Kerala. Modi eulogized how India is scripting new heights on the global map. He even mentioned the serious work happening among youths in Kerala contributing largely to pushing India further in global ranks. The prime minister then put the spotlight on the need to revamp the railways in the country. He said it is the benchmark for growth for any nation traversing from a developing nation to a developed one.

Kerala is home to perilous railway tracks with dangerous curves. Survey work is moving ahead from Thiruvananthapuram to Shornur. With the report in the cards, the railway will swiftly move to explore options to further speed up the Vande Bharat trains to its usual best of 130km per hour in Kerala. The Union railway minister was no Debbie Downer unlike other politicians but spread assurance all over.

As of now, it takes eight hours for Vande Bharat to reach Kasargod from Thiruvananthapuram. If the union minister's words ring true, after the track works get complete, Vande Bharat will run to the same destination in five hours, an unimaginable feat on all accounts. Prime minister allotted another Rs 1140 crore for works in Nemom terminal, Kochuveli, and Varkala Sivagiri railway stations. The railway meanwhile is trying to rebrand the Thiruvananthapuram sector to attract more tourists from the north.

The prime minister departed back to Delhi after a ceremonious visit to Kochi. The impression won't fade from his memory for long. Mission Bhagwa of Kerala is all happening for BJP if carried on in this current Modi impact. Alas, there were also darker shades with many expected announcements including AIIMS finding no place in PM's speech. Minding the good works in progress and the elite introduction of Vande Bharat in the state, such fallen promises are easily eclipsed in the glory of a new train.