True social justice is when development reaches villages: PM Modi after opening Bundelkhand expressway

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bundelkhand Expressway on Saturday and said that “an attempt is being made by some to collect votes by distributing free rewri (sweets)” and that the “double engine government is not taking this shortcut”.

“Today, efforts are being made to garner votes by distributing free rewri (sweets) in our country. This Revdi culture is very dangerous for the development of the country. The people of the country, especially the youth, need to beware of this Rewri culture. The people of Rewri culture will not build new expressways, new airports, or defence corridors for you. They feel that by distributing free rewris to the people, they can buy them. Together we have to defeat this thinking of them. Rewri culture has to be removed from the politics of the country. Away from Rewri culture, we are living up to the expectations of the people by building roads and new rail routes. For the poor, we are building new houses, completing irrigation schemes, building dams, and setting up power units, so that the lives of the poor and farmers improve and the future of our youth does not darken.

The PM was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak and other dignitaries.

The 296-km long Bundelkhand Expressway will connect Chitrakoot in the undeveloped Bundelkhand region with the Lucknow-Agra Expressway near Etawah. The fourth expressway project in the state has been completed in a record 28 months – 8 months ahead of its deadline, the government said. Modi laid the foundation of this project in February 2020.

On Saturday, Modi said that the way UP is developing under the double-engine government is astonishing. “Remember one thing I say and tell people over and over again. The Saryu Canal project took 40 years to complete. Gorakhpur fertilizer plant was closed for 30 years. UP which took 12 years to complete the Arjun Dam scheme. The rifle warehouse in Amethi is just a board. Rae Bareli Rail Factory did not make coaches…
The same UP is taking the work on infrastructure so seriously that even good states have been left behind. The image of UP is changing all over the country. Proud or not?” asked Modi.

Modi said that not just highways and airways, but other sectors like education, manufacturing, and farming were also seeing UP move ahead.

“In UP, 50 km of rail tracks used to be doubled every year… Now, doubling is done on an average of 200 km every year. Before 2014, there were only 11,000 Common Service Centers in UP. Remember the number. Now, there are more than 1.30 lakh Common Service Centers. There were only 12 medical colleges in UP at one time. Now, there are 35. And work is being done on 14 medical colleges,” Modi said.

The PM listed out the projects that were started and inaugurated under the BJP government. “Kashi Vishwanath Dham beautification project was started and completed by our government. The same is the case with Gorakhpur AIIMS. Delhi-Meerut Expressway also. The Bundelkhand Expressway is also an example of this. The work was to be completed in February next year, but it was done 7-8 months in advance. Despite the difficulties of covid, we have completed the work ahead of time. This kind of work makes people realize that the spirit behind their vote is respected,” Modi said.

“This expressway is dedicated to the glorious heritage of Bundelkhand. A land that gave birth to innumerable heroes. I present this expressway to Bundelkhand, where blood flows with devotion to Bharat. As an MP and public representative, I feel special pleasure in dedicating this to you. I have been coming to UP for decades. With the blessings of UP, I have become the ‘Pradhan Sevak’ of the country for the last eight years and the responsibility of working for the country has been given to me. But I have always seen that if UP is given two things, then UP can face the challenges resolutely. The first issue was the poor law and order situation… and the second was poor connectivity. Today, under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath, the people of UP have changed the picture of UP. Law and order have improved under his leadership and connectivity is also improving rapidly.

“Today, more work is being done to ensure better connectivity in UP than has been done in the last seven decades since independence. The distance from Bundelkhand to Delhi has been reduced by three-four hours. This is not the only benefit… It will also give impetus to the industrial development of the entire Bundelkhand. On both sides, many industries will be set up,” Modi said.

The PM said that thanks to the expressway, the industrialization of the farm sector in the region would become easier.

“The defence corridor will also be helped by the expressway, which means the expressway will bring growth, new opportunities and employment to all corners of Bundelkhand. There was a time when it was thought that the best transport facilities were for big cities… but now the government’s approach has changed. And this Modi and Yogi. Now the old thinking has been left behind and we are moving forward in a new way. The primary focus has been on work in UP after 2017 on connectivity in big cities as well as small towns.

He said, ‘Every corner of UP is ready to run fast… This is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. No one should be left behind, everyone should move forward together. And the ‘double engine’ government is working in this direction. So that small districts of UP are connected with air service and work is being done at a fast pace.

“Today when I was coming on stage, I saw a performance on Bundelkhand Expressway. And I saw that there are forts in the places near the expressway. Not only Jhansi, others too. And people familiar from abroad would know that there is a fort tourism industry in Europe… I will ask Yogi Ji to create a tourism circuit so that people from all over the world come here to see the forts. I will also make another request to Yogiji that when winters come, you start the competition to climb the fort… and this will make people come here, and this will give people a reason to come and live here and spend money and that’s a lot. Big will be the power for livelihood,” the PM said.

Balanced development of the country takes place only when modern facilities and development reach small towns and villages. This is also social justice in the true sense…the people of Bundelkhand who were deprived for so many decades. And now that the modern infrastructure has reached here, it is social justice in a way,” the PM said.

The PM said, “We are also working on the Jal Jeevan Mission so that water can reach every household through pipes. Under this mission, water connections have been given to lakhs of houses in Bundelkhand. And it has benefited our mothers and sisters.”

Today the world is looking at India with the eyes of hope. We are celebrating 75 years of independence. We are making a road map for the next 25 years. Today, when I am in Bundelkhand, from the birthplace of Rani Laxmibai…for this our ancestors, fought for hundreds of years…we should make a road map that for the next one month every village should have programs and celebrate independence .” said Prime minister.

Welcoming Modi on behalf of the state’s 25 crore people, Adityanath said, “Today is a historic day for Bundelkhand when a 296-km long expressway is being inaugurated by the prime minister… This will give new motivation to the economy of Bundelkhand and UP.”

Some Picture of Bundelkhand Expressway:-