Meerut, Feb 22 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a strong criticism of the Opposition, labelling their approach as “toxic politics” and contrasting this with the BJP, which he claimed prioritises India’s development and focuses on the path of ‘Aatmabirbharta’ (self-reliance).
The Prime Minister said this after inaugurating development projects worth around Rs 12,930 crore in Meerut. Earlier in the day, he also flagged off the Meerut Metro and the Namo Bharat train at Shatabdi Nagar Namo Bharat Station on Sunday, giving a major boost to the government’s efforts to transform regional connectivity and urban mobility in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Addressing a large public gathering in Meerut, PM Modi said, “In this divine land of Baba Augharnath and the revolutionary land of Meerut, today, the resolution of Viksit Bharat and Viksit Uttar Pradesh is getting a new energy boost. Today, both the Meerut Metro and the Namo Bharat train started. This is a magnificent reflection of what connectivity would look like in a Viksit Bharat.”
“Metro for the internal connectivity in the city and the Namo Bharat train for giving pace to the vision of twin cities. I am happy that this happened in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
The Prime Minister credited the “BJP’s double-engine government” for the new projects, stating, “The party’s work culture says that whatever work has started, work day and night to complete it. That is why the schemes are not disrupted like in earlier times. You all allowed me to lay the foundation stones of these projects just a few days back, and today, you all again gave me the opportunity to inaugurate them.”
Speaking about his interaction with the students and other passengers on board during his metro ride to Meerut South Station, PM Modi said that he was told that these development projects were “unimaginable”.
“The sisters and daughters told me that the entire route would fall silent at nightfall, and they would feel frightened. However, now law and order have improved, and people have access to safer means of travel,” he said.
“I am happy that Namo Bharat Rapid Rail has also become a symbol of Nari Shakti. From train operator to station control staff, maximum tasks are being conducted by our daughters,” he said, congratulating the people of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi for the Meerut Metro and Namo Bharat train.
“I also have a special connection to Meerut. When the 2014, 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections took place, I started my campaigning from Meerut. Every person, the farmers, industrialists, workers, artisans, and farmers have always blessed me,” he said.
Taking aim at the Opposition, the Prime Minister said, “Even then, I had told SP, BSP and Congress to get rid of their toxic politics and compete on the development issues. These parties did not change their toxic politics, but the BJP prioritised India’s development. One example of this is our Meerut Metro also.”
“Before 2014, metro development was very slow. Under the Congress rule, only five cities in the country got metro connectivity. However, today, under the BJP government, the metro has started in over 25 cities in the nation. Today, India has the third-largest metro network in the world,” he added.
In the past 11 years, PM Modi said that the metro has reached dozens of cities in the country as the BJP government “wants to provide service, high-speed connectivity and traffic-free travel to the public”.
“When Congress-SP were in power at the Centre, all this was not possible, because the infrastructure projects used to get lost in scams. We had to import metro and related technologies from foreign nations. However, we not only stopped the schemes, but also took the nation ahead in the road to Aatmabirbharta,” he added.
–IANS
sd/