Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said some people are trying to malign his image but every Indian from all sections of society is his protective shield.
“A section of people are trying to malign my image but India’s poor, India’s middle class, India’s tribals, India’s dalit-backward, or I can say every Indian, has become my protective shield,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister visited Bhopal to attend a conference of defence chiefs, and flagged off the Vande Bharat Express from Bhopal to New Delhi on Saturday afternoon from Rani Kamlapati Railway Station.
“We have to further increase the role of Madhya Pradesh in developed India, This new Vande Bharat Express is a part of this resolution,” he said. “Vande Bharat is a symbol of India’s enthusiasm and excitement. It represents our skills, confidence and capabilities. It will boost tourism that will improve the opportunities for employment, income and self-employment.”
Modi criticised earlier governments and said new thinking and approach of 21st-century India is taking the country forward. “The earlier government were busy with appeasement (tushtikaran) of the vote bank, we are committed to satisfying the needs of the citizens (santushtikaran),” he said.
The railways didn’t see any development for years, he claimed. “The governments in the past could have easily upgraded the already existing rail network which India acquired after Independence, but the development of railways was sacrificed due to vested political interests,” Modi said. “Earlier, news related to train accidents causing loss of life and property was common, but the Indian Railways has become much more secure today.”
His government has been continuously increasing the rail budget, the Prime Minister said. “The work of 100% electrification of the railway network is being achieved. Madhya Pradesh is also included in the 11 states where 100% electrification has been achieved. The average electrification of railway routes per year has increased tenfold from 600km to 6,000km after 2014,” he said.
He also expressed grief on the deaths in the accident in an Indore temple and paid tributes to the departed.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan thanked Modi for changing the face of railways and introducing high-speed train services like Vande Bharat. Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was present on the occasion.
Source: Hindustan Times
