New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday slammed the Opposition for criticising development work done by his government in various sectors including railways, infrastructure, and taxation. He said a section of the Opposition had gone back to their “old ways of neither doing anything by themselves, nor letting anyone else do anything”.
Modi made these remarks while laying the foundation stone to modernise 508 railway stations across 27 states, including poll-bound ones such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. He said the project was a big infrastructure push for the country and would cost Rs 25,000 crore.
The prime minister addressed the foundation stone laying ceremony via conference, and was joined by chief ministers of 11 states, 16 Union ministers, 28 ministers of states, 66 state ministers, and 484 MLAs, among others.
Modi’s remarks come at a time when the opposition INDIA bloc, with a collective strength of 144 MPs in Lok Sabha, has moved a no-confidence motion against his government in Parliament. He is expected to reply to the no-confidence motion debate on 10 August.
Continuing his attack, Modi said that the country built a modern Parliament building, which is a symbol of India’s democracy, “…but this faction of the Opposition opposed it”.
“We redeveloped Kartavya Path, but they opposed that too. For 70 years, they didn’t even build a war memorial for the bravehearts of the country. When we built the National War Memorial, they felt no shame in criticising it publically,” he went on to say.
Highlighting that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Statue of Unity is the tallest building in the world, Modi said that none of the big leaders of a few political parties ever visited the statue, “…but rising above negative politics, we are going ahead on the path of positive politics as a mission…”.
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‘More people paying tax’
Modi also praised the taxpayers of the country. “The faith of Indians that the money they are paying as income tax is being used for development in the country is growing and that is reflected in the increase in the number of people paying income tax,” he said.
Calling the railway project a big infra push for the country, Modi said, “Just five days ago was the last day for paying income tax. This year, we saw that there has been an increase of 16 per cent in the number of people paying income tax. This shows how much people’s trust in the development happening in the country and the need for development is growing…”
“It also reflects the fact that the middle class has also expanded in the country,” he added.
The PM said that this year, the Railways has received a budget of more than Rs 2.5 lakh crore, which is five times more than the budget allocated in 2014.
“From better connectivity in the Northeast to dedicated freight corridors, the railways are witnessing an all-round transformation. Our government has also given priority to the expansion of railways in the Northeast. All state capitals of the Northeast will be connected by a rail network soon,” he added.
Modi added that for a long time, the people of the country thought the tax they are paying does not have any meaning. “They thought that their hard-earned money would be blown away in corruption. But our government has changed this perception. Today, the taxpayers of India know that their hard-earned money is not being looted. Instead, it is being spent to further national progress and to boost ‘Ease of Living.’ This is Modi’s guarantee…,” he asserted.
According to the PM, people are now seeing how railways is getting a makeover, the metro system is getting expanded, new expressways are being built and airports, hospitals and schools are being developed.
“When people see this kind of development, the realisation that their money is being used to develop a new India, a guarantee for a bright future for their children gets strengthened,” Modi added.
He further said that India’s prestige on a global scale has increased. “World’s attitude towards India has changed. The two main reasons behind this are that Indians brought in a full majority government after almost 30 years and that government took major decisions and continuously worked for a permanent solution to the challenges.”
Of the 508 railway stations, which will be modernised 55 each are in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, 34 in Madhya Pradesh, 49 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 37 in West Bengal, 32 in Assam, 25 in Odisha, 22 in Punjab, 21 each in Gujarat and Telangana, 20 in Jharkhand, 18 each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, 15 in Haryana, 13 in Karnataka among others.
The redevelopment, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, will provide modern passenger amenities along with ensuring well-designed traffic circulation, inter-modal integration and well-designed signage for the guidance of passengers. The design of the station buildings will be inspired by local culture, heritage, and architecture.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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