Kollam: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Kollam bypass in Kerala on Tuesday evening.  Keralities welcomed him by chanting ‘saranam’. Devotees said they were eagerly waiting for Modi to reach Ayyappa's land. He began his speech by saying “my dear brothers and sisters” in Malayalam.

Modi said that he is happy to be in Kerala. He said, "The government is responsible for the development of people. I congratulate the state government for implementing Kollam bypass.”

Modi slammed Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan by saying CPI(M) government's behaviour will go down as the most shameful as they don't respect India and it's culture. 

Modi didn't spare Congress either. "They say one thing in the Parliament and it gets contradicted in Kerala. They have proved that they are two-faced," he said, while requesting the Congress to show their real stand on issues. 

If there is one party at the forefront that has been standing with the people of Kerala, it is BJP, said Modi. "For us, it is not a matter of convenience, but that of conviction," he added.

Modi also stated that UDF and LDF are different with respect to the names, but they stand together when it comes to ignoring the poor and the youth of the country. 

Modi ended the speech by saying, “Kollam kandavanu illam venda (meaning: The person who once visits Kollam will even forget their own land)."

Narendra Modi, who arrived at the Air Force Technical area, proceeded to Kollam in a helicopter. He inaugurated Kollam bypass at a function organised at the Asramam Maidan at 4.50 pm. 

The bypass includes three major bridges over the Ashtamudi Lake, with a total length of 1540 metres. The total cost of making of the bypass was Rs 352 crore.

The project is expected to reduce travel time between Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram, and will also decongest traffic in Kollam town. The  Kollam bypass is a project equally funded by the state government and the Centre. The share of the state government is Rs 174 crore with respect to this project. 

Apparently, the Kollam bypass project was conceived long back in 1972 and the work on the final phase began on May 27, 2015. Finally, the project has turned real today in 2019 with the bypass being inaugurated by PM Modi.