PM: We believe in empowering people, not in using any section as vote bank
DEHRADUN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted development projects worth more than Rs 18,000 crore to poll-bound Uttarakhand on Saturday and said his government believes in the development of all and not in serving a particular community, caste or religion and using them as a "vote bank".
The prime minister alleged that the ten years of rule by the Congress-led UPA were a "waste" for Uttarakhand and the country, and said his government is making up for the lost time by doubling the speed of infrastructure and connectivity projects.
"We bring development projects for the benefit of all, irrespective of their caste or religion. We don't believe in using a particular community, caste or religion as a vote bank. We work for the empowerment of all," Modi said kickstarting the BJP's campaign for 2022 assembly polls with a a rally at the Parade Ground here.
He addressed the public meeting after the inauguration and foundation laying of 18 projects worth Rs 18,301 crore including the Rs 8,600crore Delhi-Dehradun economic corridor, Asia's biggest elevated wildlife corridor and a new bridge as an alternative to Rishikesh's iconic Lakshman Jhoola.
Terming vote bank politics as one of the perversities that have entered the country's polity, Modi said that unlike other parties that believe in keeping people weak so that their dependence on them never ends and their "crown" remains intact, the BJP believes in empowering them and making them independent.
He alleged that efforts launched in the field of connectivity and infrastructure development by the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the beginning of the century came to a halt during the ten years of UPA.
"The government that succeeded saw only scams in the name of infrastructure projects. Those ten years went waste for Uttarakhand as well as the rest of the country. We are making up for the lost time by doubling the speed of infrastructure and connectivity projects," Modi said. "A connectivity ''Mahayagya is underway across the country at present to make up for the lost time. Today's inauguration and foundation laying programme here is part of that Mahayagya," he said.
Modi who began his speech in Garhwali said these projects will help make this a decade of Uttarakhand.
"I had said from the sacred land of Kedarpuri that this decade belongs to Uttarakhand and I repeat it again. These projects will help Uttarakhand achieve that goal," he said.
Terming the projects as unprecedented work in the field of infrastructure development in Uttarakhand, he said the development of the hills state is the "double engine" government's topmost priority.
"Those who question what the double engine government has done should come and see for themselves how the double engine government works... the projects cover all sectors, be it health, infrastructure, religious tourism, medicinal herbs," the prime minister said.
Drawing a comparison, he said the UPA built only 288 km of national highways in Uttarakhand in seven years from 2007-2014 while the BJP government at the Centre had built 2000 km of national highways in the state in the 7.5 years.
"They spent Rs 600 crore in seven years on the construction of national highways in Uttarakhand while we spent more than Rs 12,000 crore during the last seven to seven and a half years, " he said. He said the Centre had sanctioned projects worth over Rs one lakh crore for Uttarakhand over the last five years and the state government is working on a war footing to implement them as fast as possible.