After Ram, time to focus on ‘Rashtra’, says PM Modi

Bulandshahr, Jan 25 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that he had attended the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya this week but now was the time to focus on ‘Rashtra’ (nation).

Addressing a rally in Bulandshahr, he said, “In Ayodhya, I had said in the presence of Ram Lalla that the work of Pran Pratishtha has been completed and now is the time to give new heights to the prestige of the nation. We have to further pave the path from God to the country and from Ram to the nation.

"Our goal is to make India a developed nation by 2047 and if the goal is big then all means must be gathered for it. Everyone has to make efforts together. Building a developed India is also not possible without the rapid development of UP. For this we need to work hard from the fields to the barns. Every power has to be awakened -- from knowledge, science, industry and enterprise. Today's event is another step in this direction."

He said that there could be no bigger blessing in his life than the love and trust of the people.

“I am overwhelmed with your love. This is the busiest time for mothers and sisters but they have left everything to come here and give me blessings. This region has given the country a son like Kalyan Singh, who dedicated his life to both the cause of Ram and the cause of the nation. Wherever he is today, he would be very happy to see Ayodhya Dham. It is our good fortune that the country has fulfilled the dream of Kalyan Singh and many people like him, but the dream of building a strong nation and ensuring true social justice is yet to be fulfilled," he added.

The Prime Minister launched a veiled attack on the opposition parties and said, “Earlier attention was not given to UP. For a long time in the decades after independence, development in India was limited to only a few areas, a large part of the country remained deprived of development. Uttar Pradesh remained neglected. This happened because for a long time, those running the government here behaved like rulers; keeping the people in poverty and creating division in the society seemed to them the easiest means of gaining power."

Talking about the developments taking place now, he said that work is progressing on two big defence corridors in India, one of which is in Western UP. Highways, airports, and dedicated freight corridors are being built to increase connectivity.

“UP is becoming the hub of the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor. This will have significance for centuries to come. When Jewar International Airport is ready, this region is going to get new strength and new flight,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that due to the efforts of the government, today, Western Uttar Pradesh is becoming one of the major employment generating centres. The central government is preparing to build four new industrial smart cities in the country. Such new cities that can compete with the world's best manufacturing and investment destinations. Out of this, one industrial smart city has been built in Greater Noida in Western UP.

Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated multiple development projects worth over Rs 19,000 crore. These projects are related to several important sectors like rail, road, oil and gas, urban development, and Housing.

The Prime Minister dedicated a 173 km-long double rail line electrified section between New Khurja - New Rewari on Dedicated Freight Corridor. He also flagged off goods trains from these two stations through video conferencing. This new section is important as it establishes crucial connectivity between the Western and Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. This new section will help in improving the operation of passenger trains due to the shifting of goods trains on the Dedicated Freight Corridor tracks.

The Prime Minister also dedicated the fourth line connecting the Mathura - Palwal section and Chipiyana Buzurg - Dadri section.

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