In a whirlwind campaign ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held rallies in three eastern states including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal, while also holding a late-night roadshow in Varanasi. He also offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple today.
Prime Minister Modi is on a three-day visit to the four states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, which began on March 8. Laying the foundation stone for a bouquet of development projects for the northeast in the state capital, Itanagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the once-ignored region is fast emerging as a strong and thriving corridor for trade with South Asia and East Asia.
The Chief Minister was speaking at the Northeast Viksit Bharat Viksit Program in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth about Rs 55,600 crores in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
He also dedicated the Sela tunnel to the nation and launched the UNNATI program worth around Rs 10,000 crores. Current development projects include sectors such as railways, roads, health, housing, education, border infrastructure, IT, power, oil and gas, among others. Talking about today's projects worth Rs 55,000 crore, the Chief Minister said “35,000 thousand families of Arunachal Pradesh got their houses, water connections for thousands of families of Arunachal and Tripura and connectivity related projects for many states of the region. “
PM Modi also slammed the Congress and said it would take the grand old party 20 years to achieve what his government has done in the last five years for the development of the northeastern states. “It would take the Congress 20 years to do what we (BJP) have done in the last five years in the Northeast,” PM Modi said shortly after inaugurating several development projects in the northeastern states.
Prime Minister Modi also embarked on a visit to Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the heart of Assam. His presence not only highlighted the importance of conserving India's natural treasures but also highlighted the need for sustainable tourism practices. According to a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) press release, during his visit, Prime Minister Modi interacted with various stakeholders and wildlife, emphasizing the importance of environmental conservation.
Prime Minister Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore in Assam, saying the “twin engine government is working at high speed for the development of Assam”. “The twin engine government is working at high speed for the development of Assam. Assam has shown unprecedented pace in infrastructure, health and energy sectors,” PM Modi said while addressing a rally in Jorhat, Assam.
He also unveiled the magnificent 125 feet tall statue of Lachit Borphukan, the famous general of the Royal Army of the Ahom Kingdom of Assam who defeated the Mughals. Lachit Borphukan is remembered for his outstanding victory against Aurangzeb's Mughal army at the Battle of Saraighat. The Ahom general fought mercilessly to curb the expansion of the Mughal empire in Assam.
The Prime Minister took some time out of his tour to spend some time at a tea estate. Taking note of X's handle, he urged tourists to visit the tea gardens of Assam during their visits to the state.
“Assam is known for its magnificent tea gardens and Assam Tea has made its way around the world. I would like to commend the admirable tea garden community, who are working hard and enhancing the prestige of Assam around the world,” the X post reading. Coming to West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects in the railway and road sectors worth over 4500 crore.
Speaking at the 'Viksit Bharat Viksit West Bengal' program here, the chief minister said the central government is doing its best for the development of West Bengal. He dedicated many rail line electrification projects that will benefit the people of North Bengal and neighboring areas. The projects include Eklakhi – Balurghat section. Barsoi – Radhikapur Division. Raninagar Jalpaiguri – Haldibari Division; Siliguri – Aluabari section via Bagdogra and Siliguri – Sivok – Alipurduar Jn – Samuktala (including Alipurduar Jn – New Cooch Behar).
He said that after independence, the development of Eastern India was ignored for a long time, while his government considered it as the developmental engine of the country's development. Addressing a rally here today, PM Modi asserted that before 2014, the average budget of Bengal Railways was around Rs 4,000 crore which has now reached almost Rs 14,000 crore.
Prime Minister Modi virtually flagged off the Siliguri-Radhikapur train and asserted that our government's effort is to increase the speed of trains in North Bengal the same way it is increasing across the country. Further, launching a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress and the opposition INDIA Bloc, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it does not affect the West Bengal government when people are struggling or suffering and “the whole country is discussing what TMC leaders have done to Dalits and Adivasis women of Sandeshkhali'.
Addressing a rally here, PM Modi pointed out that for the benefit of the TMC 'tolabaz', 25 fake job cards were created and given to people. “TMC government is giving money to people who choose 'tolabaz'. It does not affect TMC when you are struggling or suffering. The whole country is discussing what TMC leaders did to Dalit and Adivasi women of Sandeshkhali. Atrocities against women and looting poor people's money with hard work, that's what TMC 'tolabaz' do,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a massive roadshow in Varanasi on Saturday. The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May this year. (A I)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is automatically generated by a syndicated feed.)
