Says Centre planning separate departments for animal husbandry, fisheries

Dispelling all apprehensions about the Centre’s neglect of the State, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Kerala is as important to him as Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency.

He was addressing Abhinandan Sabha, the first public meeting organised by the BJP State committee after he was elected Prime Minister for a second consecutive term, at Guruvayur on Saturday. Earlier, Mr. Modi had darshan at the Sreekrishna temple. The Prime Minister congratulated the people for taking part in the election process.

“Many political observers must have wondered why I chose Guruvayur for the first public meeting after the elections when the BJP could not even open its account in the State,” Mr. Modi said on a lighter note.

“There may be differences of opinion during elections. But once elected, welfare of the entire country is of paramount importance for a government. So I am taking this opportunity to congratulate those who tried for the victory of the BJP and those who did not,” Mr. Modi said.

Political pundits, analysts and even surveys could not predict the people’s will correctly. They took a decisive decision in the election. People are the gods in a democratic country, he said.

“I have joined politics not to win elections. I am here to build a new country. BJP workers don’t work just for elections. They function throughout the year for the welfare of people,”’ he said.

On rural economy

The Prime Minister said animal wealth was the foundation of rural economy. The Union government would implement a vaccination campaign on the lines of the Pulse Polio drive to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease in cattle. The government was also planning a separate department for animal husbandry and fisheries, he said.