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Previous govts reduced eastern UP to poverty, mafia rule: PM
Modi inaugurates Purvanchal Expressway, says BJP’s “double engine government” working for the development of UP and creating an environment for new investments
LUCKNOW Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the previous Uttar Pradesh governments of letting poverty and mafia take over the state’s eastern part, saying the BJP government was now writing a new chapter of development there.
Modi was addressing a rally near Kurebhar area of Sultanpur district on Tuesday after inaugurating the 341-km Purvanchal Expressway, where he landed in a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft on a 3.2-km stretch developed as an emergency airstrip for the Indian Air Force. He also witnessed an airshow on the airstrip.
The expressway links Lucknow with Ghazipur and has been constructed at an estimated cost of ₹22,500 crore. It starts from village Chaudsarai in Lucknow on Lucknow-Sultanpur road (NH-731) and ends in Hydaria village located on National Highway number 31, 18 km east of the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border.
Terming the Purvanchal expressway as a symbol of new UP and its progress, he said it would bridge the gap between the development of western and eastern UP. The PM invoked Lord Hanuman and lauded the contribution of the people of the district in the freedom struggle.
“I bow to the people of the land on which Lord Hanuman killed Kalanemi. In the 1857 struggle, the people of the area fought the British. The land carries the fragrance of the independence struggle. And today, the holy land is getting the gift of Purvancahl Expressway,” he said.
Development was limited to places where the previous chief ministers had their homes or families, Modi said while not naming the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party or the Congress, which the ruling BJP faces in the assembly polls just months away.
“The previous governments reduced the vital eastern part of the state to ‘mafiawaad’ and poverty, but the BJP government is now writing a new chapter of development,” he said.
“The government, which was in power in UP before the BJP government, did not assist me. The then CM did not share dais with me fearing that his vote bank will get angry. The governments before the Yogi government were unfair to people, neglected development of the state and focused on the well being of their family. The people of UP removed them from power. They gave a big mandate to Yogi and Modi in 2017 and 2019 to serve them,” he said.
“In UP, we have seen a long period of governments who showed dreams of industrialization without worrying about connectivity. As a result, many factories located here were shut due to lack of infrastructure. It was also unfortunate that both Delhi and Lucknow were dominated by the dynasts. For years, this partnership of family members kept crushing the aspirations of Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
Modi emphasised that the BJP’s “double engine government” was working for the welfare of people and development of the state. “Along with running old industries, it is creating an environment for new investments,” he said.
“When I laid the foundation stone of the Purvanchal Expressway three years back, I had never thought that I will land here on an aircraft one day,” added the PM. The airstrip on the highway is meant to facilitate landings and take-offs of Air Force jets during emergencies.
Accusing the previous governments of “ignoring” defence infrastructure, the PM said that the country’s security was as important as its prosperity.
“The emergency landing facility for aircraft on the expressway is a symbol of strength for the Indian Air Force. It’s a message to those who neglected defence infrastructure of the country,” he said.
The PM said after seeing the development in UP one can say that he destiny of the state was set to change. “Who can forget regular power cuts earlier, deterioration in law and order, lack of medical facilities and loot incidents. Now, those who committed loot are in jail and new roads are being constructed across the state,” he added.
“In the last seven years, villages in eastern and western UP have been connected with roads. The dream of UP’s development is being fulfilled. New medical colleges, AIIMS, modern educational institutions and airports have also been constructed,” he said.
The PM said the Yogi government was working with the ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ mantra without any discrimination. “The industrial corridor is being developed along the expressway and 21 spots have been selected for the purpose,” he said.
Lauding the Covid vaccination drive, Modi said UP had achieved the 14-crore vaccination milestone, making it the leading state in vaccination. “People ignored political misinformation and conspiracy over the Covid vaccine manufactured in the country. My government is working hard for the development of UP. Women have benefitted most under the BJP government –
they have got pucca houses, power supply, cooking gas, toilets, piped drinking water supply, better health facilities under Ayushman Bharat scheme,” emphasised the PM.
The event ended with an air show performed by Mirage, Jaguar, Sukhoi and An-32 aircraft, before the Prime Minister headed back to Delhi on the C-130 Hercules, which had brought him here.
