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In poll-bound Himachal, PM Modi's dig at past Congress govt: ‘Latakna, bhatakna, bhul jana…’
Speaking in Una, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the previous governments in both Himachal Pradesh and the Centre could not understand the “hopes and aspirations” of the people of the northern hill state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the past Congress government in Himachal Pradesh by saying that they failed to improve higher education facilities in the northern hill state, compelling the youth to seek them in neighbouring regions. “We are changing the old tradition,” he said in Una, shortly after dedicating the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) to the nation, and also laying the foundation stone of Bulk Drug Park there.
“Atakna, latakna, bhatakna, bhul jana (getting stuck, straying away and forgetting about bettering higher education in Himachal Pradesh). This is not our path,” the prime minister told the gathering in Hindi.
Modi said that the past government was more focused on the number of seats Himachal Pradesh assembly constitutes than the state's development. “To get educational institutions like the IIT, IIIT, IIM and AIIMS, the people of Himachal had to wait for the arrival of double-engine government in the state,” he added.
“I remember the condition of Himachal. No development was there. The earlier governments in Himachal and those sitting in Delhi also remained indifferent in fulfilling the needs of you people. They could never understand your hopes and aspirations,” the prime minister said at the event.
Modi further stated that with a new building of the IIIT-Una, students in the hill state will get more higher educational benefits, and those who graduate from the institute will also strengthen the digital advancement in Himachal Pradesh.
While inaugurating the projects, Modi, who is on his ninth visit to Himachal Pradesh in the last five years, said that he is pleased to announce “gifts worth several thousand crores” for the state before the arrival of Dhanteras and Diwali.
During his address, he also said that the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh is not only catering to the needs of the 20th century people, but also bringing modern facilities of the 21st century to every household of the hill state.
Modi had laid the foundation stone of the IIIT-Una in 2017. According to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), more than 530 students are currently studying in the institute.
The prime minister flagged off the inaugural run of the Vande Bharat Express in Una, the fourth of its kind in the country. He also laid the foundation stone of the drug park in Haroli, which will be set up at a cost of over ₹1,900 crore.
The PMO statement said that the park will help in cutting down dependence on API imports, and is also expected to draw investment of nearly ₹10,000 crore and offer employment to over 20,000 people.
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, and Union minister Anurag Thakur were also in attendance at the event.
Modi is scheduled to launch several projects in Chamba as well later in the day. These include two hydropower projects, and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-III in Himachal Pradesh for upgradation of around 3,125km of roads in the State.
Himachal Pradesh is scheduled to go into polls next month.
