Poison of appeasement weakening with development: PM Modi in UP's Azamgarh
LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the "poison of appeasement" is weakening as development takes place.
Addressing a rally in Azamgarh, earlier seen as a family bastion of Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, the PM took a dig again at RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's recent remark and said 140 crore Indians are his family.
PM Modi also launched a scathing attack on previous dynast governments for ruling by dividing the society on caste lines and following the politics of appeasement of a section for votes.
"Your love and affection along with the development of Azamgarh have taken away the sleep of INDI Alliance that is dependent on casteism, dynasty and appeasement for votes. For decades Poorvanchal has witnessed the politics of casteism and appeasement. Respective dynastic governments, soaked in corruption, never gave development a chance," asserted PM Modi while addressing a huge rally in
Azamgarh after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of multiple developmental projects, including 16 airports, worth more than Rs 34,700 crore across Uttar Pradesh.
Among the airports which the PM launched included five – Mundri of Azamgarh, Shravasti, Moradabad, Aligarh, Chitrakoot and a new internation terminal of Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow – of UP which has now the distinction of becoming a state with 14 operational airports.
While claiming that Azamgarh, once considered to be a backward district and a nursery of crime and terror, was now a shining star scripting a new chapter of development, the PM taunted the opposition parties over their poll promises which never saw the light of the day.
Significantly, Azamgarh with a dominating Muslim-Yadav combination in the population, has been a stronghold of SP as party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and chief Akhilesh Yadav have represented it in Lok Sabha in 2014 and 2019, respectively. However, in 2022 bypoll, when the seat was vacated by Akhilesh to retain Karhal Assembly seat after state elections, Azamgarh was wrested by the BJP’s Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirhaua from SP.
Coming to his latest slogan of ‘Modi ki guarantee,’ the PM said that Azamgarh would now be known as 'Aajanmagarh.' "People of Azamgarh, I give you one more ‘Modi ki guarantee’.
This Aajanmagarh will now be the ‘Garh’ (hub) of development till eternity. This is Modi's guarantee," he assured the gathering.
All praise for the governance of UP CM Yogi Adityanath attributing state’s pace of development to improved law and order, Modi said that UP was leading the tally of states in the implementation of central welfare scheme. He also played up Ayodhya, Kashi, Mathura and Kushinagar saying it was his commitment to restore the glory of religious centres related to people’s faith, and the work on that account was a testimony to ‘Modi’s guarantee’.
The PM said one must not link these projects with elections and added that he sped up the development works to achieve the dream of a developed India by 2047.
"I am running with speed and moving the country with speed to fulfil the promise of developed India by 2047," he said.
The PM also inaugurated Maharaja Suhel Dev State University, Azamgarh, constructed at a cost of 108 cr.
He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of five major National Highway projects worth Rs 11,500 cr.
More than 5,342 km of roads built in 59 UP districts under the PM Gram Sadak Yojna worth Rs 3,700 cr were also inaugurated by him.
The PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 12 railway projects across UP worth Rs 8,200 cr.
He also inaugurated three sewage projects built under Namami Ganga Yojna worth Rs 1,114 cr in Prayagraj, Etawah, and Jaunpur districts of the state.
The Prime Minister is also slated to inaugurate the Light House Project (LHP) in Lucknow under which more than 1,040 affordable flats have been built with modern infrastructure.
(With inputs from PTI)