Those Opposing Bullet Train Can Travel by Bullock Carts, Says PM Narendra Modi

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posted on 6 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the UPA government under Manmohan Singh also wanted the project but could not get it. "The NDA government got it at a negligible price. So the Congress didn't like that. My only grievance against the Congress is that if they could not achieve anything, why does it pain them when someone else does it."

Bharuch (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday targeted those opposing the bullet train project and said such people should travel by bullock carts.

Modi and his government have often faced opposition fire over the ambitious project linking Ahmedabad and Mumbai. "Those opposing the bullet train project should travel on bullock carts. We won't mind," he said during an election rally in Bharuch.

The Rs 1.1 lakh crore bullet train project is being built by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Modi said the Congress government too wanted the high-speed rail corridor project but failed to clear it.

“Imagine how much employment will it generate for the region, for Bharuch. I ask you where will the cement for the bullet train (infrastructure) come from, iron come from, labourers come from? Won't that be from India? And who will be buying that? Japan. Isn't it a big deal?” he asked.

He said the UPA government under Manmohan Singh also wanted the project but could not get it. "The NDA government got it at a negligible price. So the Congress didn't like that. My only grievance against the Congress is that if they could not achieve anything, why does it pain them when someone else does it."

Modi took a jibe at the Nehru-Gandhi family over what he said their claim to have Gujarati origins and doing nothing for the state.

"What good did they do to Gujarat? Did they even think about project like roll on, roll off (RO-RO) ferry service? Over the years, the Congress has created divisions between villages and cities, states, between people, between the educated and the uneducated, caste, communities. But since the BJP formed the government in the Centre, all these ailments have gone. When I was the Chief Minister, there was not a single day when they would not hurt Gujarat," he added.

The PM said the two districts of Kutch and Bharuch having large Muslim populations witnessed "maximum development during the BJP rule".

Modi said the mega project of the Statue of Unity to install the world's tallest statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel will also contribute to the development of the region and attract foreign visitors.