PM praises Nitish for fight against graft
MOTIHARI (BIHAR): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday came down heavily on the opposition for trying to stonewall initiatives of the government while he praised Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for his fight against corruption and his efforts in the clean India campaign.
The Prime Minister was in Motihari to attend an event to mark 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagrah with an aim to spread the message of Swachh Bharat. Addressing thousands of Swachhagrahis (cleanliness volunteers) from across the country at the Gandhi Maidan in Motihari, Modi said the culture of ‘latkana’ (delaying) and ‘bhatkana’ (misleading) to stall work was over.
Modi inaugurated schemes worth ~6,000 crore in Bihar. He dedicated to the nation the Madhepura electric locomotive factory, laid the foundation stones for the doubling of Muzaffarpuri-Val mi kin ag ar railway line and four sewerage projects in Patna, and approved the renovation of Motijheel in Motihari.
He also flagged off, using a remote device, a 12,000 HP freight electric locomotive and the Champaran-Humsafar Express train from Katihar to Delhi.
Modi also announced that the Gram Swaraj campaign would be launched on April 14. He exhorted all MPs, MLAs and other elected public representatives to go to their constituencies and sensitise people towards cleanliness and making India open defecation free.
Modi also complimented Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for his fight against antisocials and corruption. Without mentioning the RJD-Congress combine, he said the Centre would whole-heartedly support the state in its effort to fight corruption and promote the clean India campaign.
The PM sought to connect with the people by starting his speech in Bhojpuri, the dialect widely spoken in the region.
His Bhojpuri speech immediately struck the right cord with the locals. He spoke fluently drawing a big round of applause. He did falter with pronunciation at a few place, but the locals chose to ignore it.