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PM Modi unveils Deogarh airport, hits out at ‘shortcut politics’
There is no substitute for hard work and “short-cut politics” will harm the country in the long run, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Jharkhand on Tuesday, appealing to people to reject politics based on populist measures.
There is no substitute for hard work and “short-cut politics” will harm the country in the long run, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Jharkhand on Tuesday, appealing to people to reject politics based on populist measures.
The Prime Minister inaugurated several infrastructure projects, including a new airport in Deogarh – where he was greeted by chief minister Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) – and laid the foundations of projects worth several thousand crores of rupees.
“Short-cut politics is a challenge today. People could get votes through populist measures. But the truth is that any country that resorts to short-cut politics is bound to face short-circuit,” Modi later said at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally in Deoghar. “But there is no short-cut for hard work.”
Without naming any political party, Modi hit out at political opponents, saying previous governments used to resort to short-circuit politics. “I appeal from here in Deoghar that you need to reject short-cut politics because people who practice it would never give you new airports, roads and medical colleges in each district,” he added.
During his half-hour speech at the rally attended by Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and top leaders of the state BJP, the Prime Minister listed many development and infrastructure projects by the Centre, especially those for upliftment of tribal areas in the country.
It was Modi’s first visit to the tribal-dominated state after his election campaign for the 2019 assembly elections. An alliance of the JMM, Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal -- led by incumbent chief minister Soren -- had wrested power from the BJP in the state polls.
Scindia said the state would soon have three more functional airports, besides Ranchi and Deoghar. “After Ranchi and Deoghar, we will set up airports in Bokaro, Jamshedpur and Dumka. Also,we will introduce 14 new air routes in the state to increase connectivity,” he said.
The foundation for the Deoghar airport, spread over 652 acres, was laid by Modi in 2018. Built at a cost of ₹401 crore, the airport witnessed its first commercial flight between Kolkata and Deoghar on Tuesday.
Besides the districts in Santhal Parganas and North Chhotanagpur divisions, the airport is also expected to benefit neighbouring south Bihar districts, including Jamui, Banka and Bhagalpur.
Apart from the airport, Modi inaugurated a 250 bed in-patients department and operation theatre at the new AIIMS in the city, besides laying foundation stones of road, rail and energy projects, including a gas pipeline and a LPG bottling plant.
“These development projects would not just give a boost to the local economy, but to entire eastern India. These would help in creating new opportunities and job creation,” Modi said at Deoghar airport. “Development of states would lead to the development of the country.”
Speaking at the airport inaugural function, Soren thanked the Prime Minister for making the decade-old dream of the airport in the region, even as he indirectly raised the issue of displacement caused by such projects.
“I would also like to thank those three hundred families who got displaced due to acquisition for this project. We often forget the labours who toil hard in making such projects a reality. Jharkhand has been contributing for decades in nation’s development by providing mineral resources. Now it’s time to develop the state. I am confident that if I continue to get support of the Centre and people, we will make it a leading state in 5-7 years,” he said in a short speech at the function.
The JMM has been reluctant in announcing it’s support to the opposition’s joint candidate Yashwant Sinha for the presidential election scheduled for July 18. It is expected by to side with the BJP-led NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu, a member of the same Sathali tribe as the Sorens.
During his four-hour stay in the temple town, Modi inaugurated development projects at a function at Deoghar airport, held a roadshow from the airport to the iconic Baidyanath temple, and offered prayers at the shrine before addressing the BJP at Deoghar college ground.
Highlighting the importance of providing modern facilities at the country’s cultural and religious centres, Modi said such improvement leads to increased footfalls of pilgrims, which boosts tourism and the local economy.
“In Varanasi, the footfall has increased three times the in past three years. It helps the locals, be it the auto drivers, florists, weavers or tea sellers,” he said. “The Statue of Unity in Ahmedabad has helped the locals, including the tribals dwelling nearby.”
