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In Haryana, PM plays development card Kaithal, August 19 At a function held to lay the foundation stone of a project to widen the national highway between Kaithal and Rajasthan, Modi launched a covert attack on the Congress government in Haryana much to the discomfort of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Modi, who was on his maiden visit to the state after becoming the Prime Minister, referred to the lop-sided development, the need for better remuneration to farmers and public’s growing intolerance to corruption in his 25-minute speech. “There has been development along the NH-1, but as you move into Haryana, it is very evident that there are areas that are still untouched by development. We want to create a network of roads that will speed up development,” he said. “The Central projects which should have been completed four years ago were still pending in the state. The Union Government will push for their speedy completion,” said the Prime Minister. Modi said the “culture of corruption” won’t be tolerated any longer and his government will initiate tough steps to deal with the menace while pushing for all-round development of the country. "It (corruption) is worse than even cancer and can destroy the country. The country is not willing to tolerate the evil any longer.... Strong steps are needed to remove corruption. We will take those steps," he said. “Newly carpeted roads get washed away with the first rains. Who pockets the money of these sub-standard projects?,” asked Modi, inviting loud cheers from the crowd. “Whenever a new project is initiated, the first question that comes to the minds of authorities concerned is ‘mera kya’. If they get nothing, they develop the ‘mujhay kya’ attitude,” said Modi. The PM rued that farmers who filled the country’s godowns with grain had to sleep on empty stomachs. “With farming no longer lucrative, a farmer with three sons these days wants two of them to look for a different job. We have to change this attitude,” said Modi, adding the Central Government was committed to bringing farmer-centric schemes on the pattern of what former PM Atal Bihari Vajpaye introduced. Modi said there was need for latest infrastructure to push development. "A nation which has to follow the path of development gives priority to its infrastructure," he said. The Prime Minister said it was important to connect the rural and urban India with optical fibre network, gas, water and power grids and provide better infrastructure to the people. Seeking to woo the people of Haryana where Assembly election are due on October, Modi said: “This is the first time I’m coming to Haryana after taking over the reins of the government. I want to thank Haryana and reiterate that its people have a special right on me given my long association with them. I will return their love and trust with interest by carrying out development works,” he said. In 1996,Modi was made the organisational in charge of the BJP in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. He later became the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001. The Haryana Government is pushing for four-laning of 95-km Ambala-Kaithal stretch of NH- 152, 68-km stretch of NH-352 from Jind-Narwana to Punjab Border, NH- 7 and 104-km Yamuna Nagar-Panchkula stretch of NH-344. He also urged that 7.7-km Pinjore bypass connecting NH-5 with NH-105 should be completed by National Highways Authority of India. Hooda urged the Prime Minister that the incomplete portion of NH-1 between Panipat and Jalandhar be completed speedily. The 90-km stretch of state highway No. 11 from Punjab to Panipat via Kaithal-Rajound-Assandh-Safidon should be declared as a National Highway, said Hooda. It will provide an alternative highway connecting Delhi with Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, he said. Hooda also urged the Central Government to set up a rail coach factory in Haryana. The rail projects sanctioned for Haryana must be started at the earliest, he said. Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Krishan Pal Gujjar also promised rapid development of roads in Haryana. Crowd boos Hooda
Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda was left red-faced as he was booed by the crowd who did not let him speak at the function. Later, the angry Congress leader threatened to boycott the functions of the Central Government.
What Modi said on Development model
A nation which has to follow the path of development gives priority to its infrastructure. We want to create a network of roads that will speed up
development.
Fighting corruption
Corruption is even worse than cancer and can destroy the country. The country is not willing to tolerate the evil any longer.... Strong steps are needed to remove corruption. We will take those
steps.
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