Time to take ‘rashtra pratishtha’ to new heights: PM Modi in UP's Bulandshahr

The “pran pratishtha” or consecration of the Ram Temple done, it is now time to take “rashtra pratishtha” or nation’s prestige, to new heights, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, asserting that he only sounded the bugle of development and not elections, as the ordinary citizen was already doing the latter for him.

Modi was addressing a rally in Bulandshahr town in Uttar Pradesh after launching projects worth over ₹20,000 crore. This is his first public rally after he threw open the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya earlier this week, fulfilling a decades-old electoral promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In the 36-minute speech, the PM also spoke about the importance of “Modi ki guarantee” among the people, and remembered party stalwart Kalyan Singh, who was one of the early leaders of the temple movement in the 1990s.

“I saw in the media that Modi will sound the election bugle in Bulandshahr. Modi sounds the bugle of development, Modi sounds the bugle for the welfare of the last person in the queue. Modi neither needed to sound the poll bugle earlier nor does he need it now and will not need it in the future. People keep doing it for him,” he said.

Read Here | Modi govt will win 3rd successive term: Yogi Adityanath at Bulandshahr rally

“When people sound the bugle for him, Modi does not need to spend time in it, he spends time in serving the people,” the PM added.

Modi said his goal of honest service was the reason that his government pulled 250 million people out of poverty, referring to the government’s recently released data on multidimensional poverty, which calculates poverty based on access to basic services.

“You are my family, your dream is my resolve and that is why when common families like you will be strengthened, that will be my capital,” he said.

Mentioning former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, Modi said the son of this area dedicated his life to the cause of Ram and nation. “Wherever he is today, he must be very happy seeing Ayodhya Dham,” the PM said.

“The work of pran pratishtha has been completed, now is the time to take rashtra pratishtha to new heights,” Modi said.

Read Here | We have to further pave the way from 'Dev to Desh' and 'Ram to Rashtra': PM Modi in UP's Bulandshahr

He said he aimed to make India a developed nation by 2047 – a goal that he said wasn’t possible without the rapid development of Uttar Pradesh.

“What our government says, it does. Our efforts are directed at ensuring that the benefits of government schemes reach all beneficiaries. Modi is giving a guarantee of saturation, guarantee of 100%,” he said. “When the government reaches all beneficiaries, then there is no scope for discrimination… there is no scope for corruption.”

In an attack on previous governments, he said for a long time after independence, development was limited to only a few areas while large parts of the country remained deprived.

“Even Uttar Pradesh, which has the largest population in the country, was not taken into account. This happened because those who ran the government here behaved like rulers for a long time. People were kept in poverty and they found the path of division in society an easy way to gain power,” Modi said.

The PM added that he wanted to reach all the people quickly, without any discrimination.

Read Here | UP remained neglected as those in power behaved like rulers: PM Modi

“For a long time after Independence, someone gave a slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao [eradicate poverty]’, someone kept lying about social justice but the poor people of the country saw that only a few families got rich and their politics flourished,” he said.

But the double-engine government from 2017 – a reference to the BJP being in power both at the Centre and in UP – ensured new momentum for economic development, he said.

“Work is in full swing on two big defence corridors in India. One of these is being built in western UP. Every part of UP is being connected by modern expressways. India’s first Namo Bharat train project started in western UP; many cities in the state are getting connected with metros. UP is becoming the hub of the eastern and western dedicated freight corridor. With the construction of Jewar airport, this area is going to get new strength,” he said.

He also congratulated chief minister Yogi Adityanath for hiking the purchase price of sugarcane.

“Earlier, farmers had to wait a long time to get money for their produce. But the double-engine government has ensured that after selling the grains in the market, the farmer’s money goes directly into his bank account. Double engine government has continuously tried to reduce the problems of sugarcane farmers. The welfare of farmers is the topmost priority of the government,” he added.

Read Here: Eye on polls, Modi launches nine projects in Noida and Greater Noida at Bulandshahr rally

Western UP is the sugarcane belt of the state, producing roughly 35% of the country’s sugarcane.

“The government has also launched the Namo Drone Didi scheme under which women self-help societies are being trained as drone pilots. They are being given drones. This scheme is going to become a big strength for the farmers in the coming times,” he added.

Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, Union minister of state VK Singh, minister of state (independent charge) for forest and environment, zoological garden and climate change Arun Saxena and many lawmakers shared the stage with the PM.

Earlier in the day, he inaugurated a 173km-long double-line electrified section between New Khurja and New Rewari on the dedicated freight corridor (DFC), opened a rail line connecting the Mathura-Palwal section and the Chipiyana Buzurg-Dadri section. These new lines will improve rail connectivity of the national capital to south-western and eastern India.

Modi also unveiled multiple road development projects and Indian Oil’s Tundla-Gawaria pipeline.

Congress leader Imran Masood said the PM’s speech was full of ‘jumlas’ (rhetoric). “He was in the agriculture belt but didn’t speak much about farmers’ problems,” Masood said.

“He (PM) appreciates the chief minister for increasing the sugarcane price, but the fact is that only ₹55 has been increased per quintal in the past five years while farmers are demanding much more to meet the expenses of cultivation. He didn’t speak about the misery of potato and other farmers,” he added.