In Azamgarh, situated in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated on Sunday that the waning influence of the “poison of appeasement” in the state is indicative of its ascending developmental trajectory. Modi castigated the deeply rooted nepotism in politics, particularly highlighting the political stronghold associated with the Mulayam-Akhilesh Yadav family.
During his address at a rally, Modi reproached the Yadavs for regarding Azamgarh as their exclusive bastion, asserting that this very nepotism prompted certain individuals to mock him for lacking a familial background. “In the preceding election, the family, which deemed Azamgarh its bastion, encountered defeat at the hands of a youthful figure like Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua, the Member of Parliament from Azamgarh,” remarked Modi.
The late Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav clinched victory in the Azamgarh parliamentary seat in 2014, succeeded by his son Akhilesh Yadav in 2019. However, the BJP’s Dinesh Lal Yadav triumphed in the 2022 by-election, necessitated by Akhilesh vacating the seat to contest the assembly poll from Karhal.
“As a consequence of this ‘parivaarvad’ (familial politics), people are so disheartened that they resort to criticizing Modi. They assert that Modi lacks a family. They overlook the fact that the 140 crore population of the country constitutes Modi’s family,” asserted the PM, responding to RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav’s inquiry during a rally on March 3 about his familial status.
Lalu Yadav had made this remark while addressing an INDIA bloc rally in Patna, criticizing Modi for accusing the opposition of engaging in dynastic politics.
“As Uttar Pradesh ascends to new pinnacles of development, the poison of appeasement is dissipating,” proclaimed Modi. He accentuated that Azamgarh, once perceived as lagging behind, is now a beacon of progress, scripting a new narrative of development for the nation.
“Presently, the radiance of Azamgarh is luminous. There was a period when events would unfold in Delhi, and other states would participate. Today, the event is unfolding in Azamgarh, drawing thousands from different corners of the country,” Modi emphasized.
Before his discourse, Modi inaugurated or laid the foundations of projects totaling Rs 42,000 crore across the country, with Rs 34,700 crore allocated to Uttar Pradesh. A substantial portion of these projects involves the construction of airports and airport structures.
Modi cautioned against associating these projects with elections and asserted that he expedited development efforts to realize the vision of a developed India by 2047.
“I am sprinting and propelling the nation swiftly to fulfill the pledge of a developed India by 2047,” he declared.
The PM, accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other BJP leaders, visited the Manduri area of the district. Modi inaugurated airports in Azamgarh, Shravasti, Chitrakoot, and Aligarh, along with a new terminal at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow.
Additionally, Modi inaugurated Maharaja Suhel Dev State University, Azamgarh, constructed at a cost of Rs 108 crore. He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for five major National Highway projects worth Rs 11,500 crore.
Under the PM Gram Sadak Yojna, he inaugurated over 5,342 km of roads in 59 UP districts, amounting to Rs 3,700 crore. The PM also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 12 railway projects across UP, totaling Rs 8,200 crore.
Further, he inaugurated three sewage projects under Namami Ganga Yojna, totaling Rs 1,114 crore in Prayagraj, Etawah, and Jaunpur districts of the state. The prime minister is also scheduled to inaugurate the Light House Project (LHP) in Lucknow, featuring over 1,040 affordable flats with modern infrastructure.