At the backdrop of electoral success in the just-concluded Assembly polls in the Hindi heartland, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a rousing welcome in his Parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Sunday, with the city decked with posters captioned ‘Mahavijay ke Mahanayak.’
This was Modi’s first visit to the holy city after winning the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh a few months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls scheduled in 2024.
Sounding the poll bugle at his two-term constituency, Modi mocked the Congress’ slogan of ‘garibi hatao’ (remove poverty) and said the poor feel empowered and confident when they get a pucca house and gas cylinders for their homes.
Modi reached Varanasi after his Gujarat visit, where he inaugurated the Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) building, the world’s largest office complex with more than 67 lakh square feet of floor area, near Surat city and claimed to be bigger than the Pentagon in the United States.
Modi also exuded confidence that in his third term as the PM, India will become the third-largest economy in the world. The PM said, “Modi’s guarantee” is being talked about a lot these days and more due to the recent Assembly polls.
The PM, who is on a two-day visit to Varanasi, on Sunday launched the second edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam at Namo Ghat. He is scheduled to launch 37 projects worth over `19,000 crore for the development of the region.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and top dignitaries from Central and State Government were present on the occasion.
“In our country, many Government schemes have been made; based on the experience of all of them, I felt that the most important thing for the country to pay attention to is that the schemes of the Government should reach people at the right time without any problems. If there is a Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, then the houses should be built with the help of the Government. There is no need to run after the Government. The Government should work from the front, and since you have given me this work, about four crore families have got permanent houses,” Modi said in his addresses at Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra at Varanasi.
While being showered with flowers along the road from the airport, Modi’s benevolence became the talk of Kashi soon when his cavalcade gave way to an ambulance in Varanasi. The ambulance was allowed to overtake the PM’s cavalcade.
Modi also flagged off a Kashi Tamil Sangamam Express, which is to ply between Kanyakumari and Varanasi. The Kashi Tamil Sangamam, which will be held from December 17-31, will witness the participation of 1,400 dignitaries from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and are scheduled to visit Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Ayodhya, according to an official statement. The first batch of the Tamil delegation comprising a group of students from various parts of Tamil Nadu named ‘Ganga’ reached Varanasi on Sunday. The group visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and is also scheduled to visit Prayagraj and Ayodhya during their stay.
Six more groups comprising teachers (Yamuna), professionals (Godavari), spiritual leaders (Saraswati), farmers and artisans (Narmada), writers (Sindhu), and traders and businessmen (Kaveri) will be reaching the city to participate in the event.
The programme will further feature cultural events that highlight the unique traditions of Kashi and Tamil Nadu with the aim to strengthen ties between the people of these two regions, the statement said.
On Monday, Modi will participate in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra programme at Barki Gram Sabha of the Sewapuri development block.
Earlier in the day in Surat, Modi reiterated India will be among the top three economies in the world in his third term.
Inaugurating the sprawling Surat Diamond Bourse, the PM said it will be the “symbol of strength and determination of new India.”
Modi said the Surat diamond industry is giving jobs to 8 lakh people, and another 1.5 lakh jobs will be added due to the new bourse, the world’s largest and most modern center for the international diamond and jewelry business.
“One more diamond is added to Surat’s grandeur. The diamond is not small but the world’s best. Even the biggest buildings of the world pale before the glint of this diamond. Whenever one talks about this diamond bourse in the world, Surat and India will be mentioned,” the PM said.
The Surat Diamond Bourse shows the capability of Indian design, designers, material, and concept. “This building is the symbol of new strength and determination of new India,” he said.
“You all know India has risen to become the fifth biggest economic power in the world from 10th in the last 10 years. Now, Modi has given his guarantee that in his third innings, India will be among the world’s top three economies,” he said.
Surat is part of the bullet train network, and work is progressing on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, which will also strengthen the area’s connectivity with northern and eastern India, he said.
The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will provide new opportunities to Surat businesses, he said, adding that “it is, in a way, the only city with such modern connectivity.”
Addressing the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra late evening, the PM termed the yatra his own “examination” and a feedback mechanism to learn directly from people if welfare schemes meant for them are reaching them.
“The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is, in a way, my ‘kasauti’ (test) also,” Modi said. “It is my examination... Whether whatever I had said and whatever I am doing, I want to hear from you and from the entire country whether it has happened in the right proportion. Whether it has been done for the person for whom it was intended, and whether the work which was to be done has happened or not.
