Congress has done nothing to strengthen the Uttarakhand border, mountains are strongholds of security: Modi

DEHRADUN: Ahead of the 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday slammed the Congress, saying the party has done nothing in several decades to strengthen the international border with Uttarakhand, which ruled the country. Is. He described the hills as “the fortress of our defense”.

Speaking at an event in Dehradun inaugurated projects worth Rs. 18,000 crore in the state, Modi drew a direct comparison between the seven years of his government at the Center and the last 10 years of the Congress-led government. He emphasized how his government has shown concern for the people of Uttarakhand.

“Our hills are not only the center of our culture and beliefs but also a fortress of protection. Our top priority is to make life smooth and easy for the people living in the hills. Unfortunately, this was not part of the policy and strategy of those who ruled the country for decades,” the PM said.

“For them, Uttarakhand or any other part of India with strategic importance was never a matter of concern. His sole purpose was to fill his treasury and take care of his people. Those who are scattered across the country cannot make Uttarakhand and the country shine.

Uttarakhand shares a border of 350 km with China and a border of 275 km with Nepal.

Elections to the 70-member Uttarakhand state assembly are due in early 2022, a largely tripartite battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party.

The BJP-led Uttarakhand government is battling an anti-incumbency wave. The party had to replace two chief ministers in a span of four months between March and July, when Pushkar Singh Dhami became the third person to take the chair in nearly five years after the BJP came to power in the state. ,

Modi’s Dehradun rally was awarded by BJP for Rs. Centrally Sponsored Development Projects worth Rs 18,000 crore. These include the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, the Haridwar Ring Road, and a bridge over the Ganges next to Laxman Jhula, a pedestrian bridge on the outskirts of Rishikesh.

‘The coming decade belongs to Uttarakhand’
Modi said his government has infrastructure development projects worth Rs. 100 lakh crore in the pipeline, and had already approved projects worth Rs. 1 lakh crore in the last five years.

He said that, during the rule of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance at the Centre, the government had built only 288 km of national highways in the Himalayan state. In contrast, his government has already created a network of over 2,000 km of interstate roadways, with a budget of more than Rs. 12,000 crores.

“We have done it and have shown concern for Uttarakhand from the bottom of our hearts. I have said time and again that the coming decade belongs to Uttarakhand and it is bound to happen.

He said that Uttarakhand would be a guide for the country in tourism development, in which all villages would be aware of the importance of this area and every second home would be ready to provide homestay services to the tourists.

The PM also accused the opposition parties of doing politics of caste, regionalism, and communal appeasement, stalling the development of the people.

“They want to divide people on the basis of caste, region or community. In this way, they find an easy vote bank to nurture and continue their divisive politics, without any concern for the people and their development,” he said.