Prime Minister Narendra Modi fiercely targeted the Opposition parties including the Samajwadi Party and Congress charging them with not allowing development of the country to move forward.

He said even today, they (the Opposition) are working to create hurdles in the way of development works.

The PM said this after the inauguration and laying of the foundation stone for various projects worth Rs 6,700 crore from his parliamentary constituency Varanasi.

Modi said today is a very auspicious day for Kashi as it is going to witness a new story of development. He said various projects worth Rs 6,700 crore include many development works related to airports, education, health, sports, and tourism.

PM Modi said all the Opposition parties, including the SP and Congress, were practicing nepotism. “Only the BJP fulfilled the dream of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Women were talked about reservation in legislation and the Lok Sabha, which we fulfilled. The BJP government gave respect to Muslim women. They were tortured for many years in the name of triple talaq and were living a dark life. The BJP government has given women the courage to walk with their heads held high,” the PM said.

Prime Minister Modi said in the future one lakh youth would be made a part of politics. He called upon the youth to come forward for this and become a part of the country’s progress.

During his address, PM Modi said languages are also being developed in the country. Pali language is being developed. I thank the people of Kashi along with all the citizens of the country for all these development schemes.

He said last year, improvements were also being made in a dozen airports of the country. A grand international airport in Ayodhya was welcoming Ram devotees. There was a time when the roads of UP were known for their dilapidation. Roads in UP are being constructed after 2014 and now roads are shining. Work is being done regarding the development and heritage of Kashi city. From the streets to the beautiful ghats here, people are enthralled, he said.

He said as soon as the new government was formed, development works started once again.

“Today, there is a wave of development work in the country. The youth of the country are getting jobs. As modern facilities increased at Babatpur Airport, people here started getting employment. Today the number of people coming to Banaras is increasing. The number of tourists and businessmen coming here has also increased,” PM stressed.

The prime minister congratulated Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his entire team for the development of UP. He said once the state had to face taunts for bad roads, but today, it is known as an expressway state. UP has the highest number of international airports, and soon a grand international airport is also being built in Jewar.

Praising the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government, Modi said rapid development work is taking place in the state and UP is now becoming a big center of investment and employment.

Prime Minister Modi said this time, in the projects, different airports of UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have also been inaugurated, which apart from Babatpur Airport, Agra and Saharanpur are also included. He said that these projects will create new employment opportunities in these states and citizens will get better facilities.

He said when the people of the country gave him the opportunity to serve for the third time, he had promised to work at three times the speed. Only 125 days have passed, and during this time work on schemes worth more than Rs 15 lakh crore has started. “Ten years ago, the news of government scams was prevalent, whereas today the news of the country’s development is a topic of discussion in every household,” he added.

The prime minister said that the aim of the government is to spend public money on the public and it is our priority to do it with full honesty. He stressed that a lot of work has been done on infrastructure development in the country in the last 10 years. Projects like highways, railway tracks, and bridges are providing convenience to citizens and creating new employment opportunities.

Modi said society can develop only when women and youth are empowered. The government has given facilities to women to do business through schemes like Mudra Loan. Women are now becoming Lakhpati Didi and drone pilots in every village.

Pointing to the religious and cultural heritage of Kashi, he said in Kashi, Mother Annapurna herself gives alms to Lord Shiva, and hence respecting and empowering women’s power holds special significance here.

The prime minister announced that the government is going to build three crore more new houses soon, which would include those women of Varanasi who have not got the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Apart from this, he also discussed the free electricity scheme, which will make the lives of women easier.

Projects worth crores of rupees related to the development of Sarnath were also inaugurated in Varanasi. The Prime Minister said, “Sarnath has a deep connection with Pali and Prakrit languages, and it is a matter of pride for us that we have given them the status of classical languages.”

Continuous efforts are being made for the development of Kashi, and this city is now becoming a model city of urban development. While discussing the new double-decker bridge to be built on the Ganga River next to the Malviya Bridge built during the British era, he said that it will greatly benefit the people of Varanasi and Chandauli.

The prime minister said Kashi is now becoming a big center of sports. He gave the example of Sigra Stadium, where players will train for the Olympics and national competitions. Apart from this, Ganjari Stadium, beautiful streets, and clean ghats have further strengthened the identity of Kashi.

In his speech, Prime Minister Modi raised the question of why Kashi was deprived of development for so long. Blaming the politics of nepotism and casteism for this, he said till 10 years ago, Banaras yearned for development but was kept away from development by those who were in power in UP and Delhi.

The prime minister said, “Our government follows the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, and we do not discriminate in schemes.” Kashi is once again becoming a medium to give momentum to the country. The development work taking place in Varanasi will not only increase the prosperity of this city but will also play an important role in the development of the entire country, he added.

Addressing the public in Bhojpuri, he reiterated his resolve to take Varanasi and the entire country to new heights of development. “I have got a chance to come home. Today, there is also a fair of Nakataiya in Chetganj. The festivals of Dhanteras, Diwali, and Chhathi Maiya are coming. Kashi is witnessing the festival of development. Many congratulations to all of you,” he said.

On this occasion, Governor Anandi Ben Patel, CM Yogi Adityanath, chief ministers and governors of other states, Union ministers, Deputy Chief Ministers Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya, ministers and MLAs of the state government were present through virtual medium.