Without taking names and without mentioning the unmentionable, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it all.

At the massive campaign rally held on Kozhikode’s historic beach on Friday evening, Mr. Modi did not even for once mention Sabarimala, temple, Hindu, Muslim, Pulwama, Balakot, Rahul Gandhi or Wayanad. He took extreme care not to mention those names, terms and phrases that could later be called to question and scanned under the lens of the model code of conduct.

But his cleverly drafted speech, most of which was in English, said everything and made his points crystal clear.

The major thrust of his speech, of course, was Sabarimala, the BJP’s main campaign plank on which the party hopes to substantially increase its vote share.

Without uttering the S-word, Mr. Modi spoke extensively on faith, freedom to worship, pooja system, traditions and conventions of worship.

He said that some people were, in the name of implementing the Supreme Court order, trying to harm the faith of the land.

Hurting traditions

He alleged that efforts were on in Kerala to hurt Kerala's traditions and culture by both the ‘the Congress and the Communists.’ No assault on the traditions would be tolerated.

He promised that his government would convince the court about the need of upholding the traditions and would constitutionally protect the right to worship.

Since his extensive use of the Air Force strike on Balakot in his campaign speeches have been widely criticised, Mr. Modi found a way around without mentioning those words: he accused the Opposition parties of questioning and insulting the ‘forces.’

The Prime Minister's criticism of Congress president Rahul Gandhi was ruthless. He said crores of rupees meant for the nutrition of women and children in Madhya Pradesh was being shipped to Tuglaq Road (Mr. Gandhi resides at Tuglaq Lane in New Delhi).

“The entire nation is now discussing the Tuglaq Road scam,” he said. He didn't mention Mr. Gandhi's contest in Wayanad, but said some leaders had escaped to Kerala seeking political bail-out. “You should ask them what had they done for their constituencies?” he urged the audience.

Mr. Modi was liberal with his criticism of the Congress and the Communists, but never mentioned the Muslim League, Muslims or minorities. Most senior BJP leaders, while attacking Rahul Gandhi in their campaign meetings outside Kerala, make it a point to mention Wayanad and linking it to Pakistan because of the large share of Muslims in the constituency's population. But, in Kozhikode, Mr. Modi, took care not to mention any of these.