A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Rajasthan scheduled for tomorrow to dedicate a few road development projects to the nation, state Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot termed the event as going to a ‘Rajnitik Sabha’ (political meeting) of the BJP leaders.

Modi will lay the foundation stone for Rs.18,100-crore road development project at Dhanavard in the Dausa district. His emphasis on road infrastructure as an engine of growth, development and connectivity in New India is being realised by the construction of a number of ongoing world-class expressways across the country.

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One such project is Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. The expressway’s first completed section. Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot, will be dedicated to the nation by the PM tomorrow.

Yesterday when the chief minister was reminded of a statement he made during his budget speech concerning PM’s visit to Dausa at an official press conference, he said, “Earlier a very big programme of PM was to be held at Nangal Rajawatan and we expected that we will sit together on one dais. It was, however, changed because of the pending Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) touching 13 districts including Dausa. The PM has assured in his two public meetings in Ajmer and Jaipur in 2018/2019 during LS polls to declare ERCP as a national project that he is not accepting it now. They (BJP) thought that ERCP might be raised in the old venue during the meeting.”

On being asked if he will join the PM’s event, Gehlot remarked, “To keep himself (Modi) away from the ERCP shadow, the venue is found near Dausa on the highway by the party leaders (BJP) and over 200 people will gather there in the meeting. It is a rajnitik sabha. Do you want me to go there and sit with 200 people? There are security reasons for the PM to be there.”

This would be the PM’s fourth visit to Rajastehan since September 2022. He had visited Abu Road (Sirohi district) Mangarh Hills in Banswara district, and recently to Shree Devnarayan at Malaseri Dungri in Bhilwara district.

In view of the upcoming assembly elections in the state in December this year, the BJP has devoted his energy to mobilise workers, MLAs, MPs of LS and RS from Rajasthan to Dausa join PM’s public address to woo Gurjar, Jat and Meena voters in Bharatpur, Karauli, Dholpur, Sawaimadhopur, Tonk, Dausa,  Jaipur and Alwar assembly constituencies.  Out of 52 assembly constituencies in these districts, the BJP has only 8 MLAs in the house.

The 246 Km Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway has been developed at a cost of Rs 12,150 crore. Operationalisation of this section will reduce the travel time from Delhi to Jaipur from 5 hours to around 3.5 hours and provide a major boost to the economic development of the entire region, according to an official dossier.

The PM will also lay the foundation stone of 247 km of NH projects to be developed at a cost of more than Rs 5,946 crore. This includes 67-km long four-lane spur road from Bandikui to Jaipur to be developed at a cost of Rs.2000 crore, a six lane spur road from Kotputli to Baraodaneo, to be developed at a cost of about Rs 3,775 crore and two lane paved shoulder of Lalsot Karauli section, being developed at a cost of Rs 150 crore.