Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reaffirmed his connection with Varanasi as he held another well-attended roadshow in his Lok Sabha constituency.
At the end of the roadshow, which passed through densely populated, winding roads, Mr. Modi said at a public meeting that it was his “dream” to develop the most modern facilities in Varanasi while retaining its “soul”.
The Prime Minister’s roadshow began at the police lines and passed through the Chauka ghat before concluding at the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth. He received a resounding welcome from the crowd lined up along the streets and those watching the proceedings from their balconies. He waved at them from the sunroof of his customised SUV, which moved at a snail’s pace, and reached its destination a couple of hours late.
“I have participated in many yatras but never experienced a flood of people like today in Kashi,” Mr. Modi later said at a rally at Kashi Vidyapeeth. He reiterated his commitment to develop Varanasi just like the “world imagines it to be”, and said that since the BJP came to power at the Centre, he had worked to improve the city’s infrastructure and ensure that its residents had their livelihood.
Roads shabby
The Prime Minister accused the Samajwadi Party government of deliberately not repairing the roads in the city after work on putting electric cables underground had been completed. “They fear Modi would get credit for the work,” he said.
Mr. Modi accused the SP, the BSP and the Congress of fostering a culture of exclusive development unlike his call for Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas .
“Their political culture is kuch ka saath, kuch ka vikaas [development for a few]. It runs through their veins, to win with the support of some while neglecting the rest. In democracy, everyone’s support and development are necessary.”
The State, the Prime Minister added, had all the human resources, natural wealth and willingness to work but “not the right government”.
Quoting Mark Twain’s memorable lines on Varanasi’s antiquity, Mr. Modi described the city as a “living heritage”. “Every Indian considers Varanasi their own.” To develop Varanasi a “little care” and removal of obstacles was all that was required, he added. “You have the energy. But, bhaiyo aur behno,” Mr. Modi addressed residents of Varanasi, “so many governments came and went, but all they did was keep election in their mind and only showed interest in minor tweaking.”
‘Roadshow a failure’
The ruling party hit back at the Prime Minister, with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav taking a dig at Mr. Modi for holding back-to-back road shows in Varanasi. “PM held a roadshow but it was a failure, so he is holding one again, which will also fail. He will hold another roadshow and from there we don’t know how far way he might go,” Mr. Yadav said at a rally in Sonbhadra.
