Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat during the inauguration of a section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and various other projects, in Dausa on February 12, 2023. Photo Credit: PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that only a “double engine government” will ensure progress of Rajasthan as the ruling Congress lacks vision and has not been able to implement development plans and budgetary announcements on the ground. Shri Modi said that by bringing BJP to power, people can get rid of uncertainty and speed up development.
Mr Modi addressed a rally organized by the opposition BJP a few kilometers away in Dausa district’s Dhanawar village, soon after inaugurating the first phase of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. The Prime Minister said that the Congress government has failed on all fronts, while there are frequent reports of misgovernance and deteriorating law and order from the state.
For many decades, some people insulted Rajasthan by calling it a sick state. But the BJP is making it one of the strongest states in the country. He said Rajasthan will benefit from the Centre’s spending on building infrastructure and will be able to connect it to major centers of development, which will bring prosperity and new opportunities to its people.
Assembly elections in Congress-ruled Rajasthan are to be held in December this year. Accusing the state government of not carrying out development work in border villages and areas, Shri Modi said that the Congress is afraid that the enemy will cross the border and use the roads. He said that the Congress had underestimated the valor of India’s armed forces.
Mr Modi took a jibe at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for reading out excerpts from last year’s budget in his budget speech in the Assembly on Friday. “What happened during the budget session is being discussed everywhere… One can make mistakes, but the Congress obstructs development and keeps its schemes and announcements only on paper,” he said.
Mr Modi said people from districts like Dausa, Alwar, Bharatpur, Tonk, Bundi and Kota would benefit from the expressway, as they would be able to reach Delhi’s big markets, especially for agricultural products. “This is just a trailer. The film is yet to be released… Rajasthan is the land of brave people.
The Prime Minister said that since modern infrastructure and good connectivity would facilitate rapid development, the BJP government at the Center would encourage investment in highway projects, ports, railways, airports, optical fibre, homes for the poor and medical and technical giving. institutions. Reiterating his remarks from the inauguration, he said, “Building infrastructure creates more jobs and business.”
This was Mr. Modi’s second visit to Rajasthan in a fortnight, as he had gone to Bhilwara district on January 28 to participate in the birth anniversary celebrations of Lord Devnarayan, a deity worshiped by Gujjars. Dausa district in eastern Rajasthan, where Mr Modi visited on Sunday, has a significant presence of the Gurjar and Meena communities, both of whom voted overwhelmingly for the Congress in the 2018 assembly elections.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra also crossed eastern Rajasthan before entering neighboring Haryana. The BJP hopes that the Prime Minister’s visit and the inauguration of a major infrastructure project will improve the party’s prospects in the region ahead of the assembly elections.
The opening of the 246-km stretch of the expressway, developed at a cost of ₹12,173 crore, will significantly reduce travel time between New Delhi and Jaipur. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, among others. Mr Gehlot and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar addressed the event through video link.