After two days of herculean tour of eastern Indian states where he tried to corner Trinamool Congress, Left and the Congress in their respective strongholds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on Mission South India, dedicate a slew of projects and hold public rallies in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka on Sunday.
According to BJP sources, he is scheduled to inaugurate a slew of projects and address public meetings at Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Perumanallur village in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur and also will hold a rally in JD(S)-Congress ruled Karnataka’s Gabbur Bypass at Hubli in the evening.
Prime Minister’s first visit to Andhra Pradesh since the exit of N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP from NDA in March 2018 would be marred by a major protest by the regional party and also the Congress.
“After breaking his promise on Special Category Status for Andhra how can Modi set foot in Andhra Pradesh? Let us all unite and oppose his visit and his betrayal,” Naidu said on Saturday.
The state unit of BJP has, however, said that the TDP is afraid that Prime Minister Modi will expose the Chief Minister when he explains on the amount of funds and other help that the Centre has given to Andhra Pradesh since 2014.
In a boost to energy security, PM is slated to dedicate to the nation, 1.33 MMT Visakhapatnam Strategic Petroleum Reserve facility of Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Limited.
The ONGC’s Vashishta & S1 development project located in the Krishna-Godavari Offshore Basin in Andhra Pradesh will also be inaugurated. He will also lay the foundation stone for setting up a new terminal of Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) at Krishnapatnam.
In Tamil Nadu, PM Modi is likely to lay foundation stone of 100-bed Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) health facility at Tiruppur, a new integrated building at Trichy Airport and modernisation of Chennai airport among other projects.
In Karnataka, he will lay the foundation stone of Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Information Technology –Dharwad.
City Gas Distribution Project at Dharwad will also be dedicated. PM will also will dedicate to the nation, the 1.5 MMT Mangalore Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facility and 2.5 MMT Padur SPR facility of ISPRL. Doubling of 18 km long Chikjajur-Mayakonda Section is another highlight.
During his trip to West Bengal and northeastern states on Friday and Saturday, Pime Minister slammed Mamata Banerjee, the Left parties and the Congress separately in their respective bastions.
In Jalpaiguri in Bengal, he took a swipe at Banerjee and lamented that for the first time in the history of India, a Chief Minister has sat on Dharna to protect those who have looted the poor.
Reference was to the fracas in Kolkata on February 3 when Kolkata police clashed with CBI.
In Assam, he assured the people of the North East that the Citizenship Amendment Bill will in no way cause harm to their interest.
Charging Congress with neglecting implementation of the Assam Accord, Modi said BJP’s detractors were spreading falsehood on the issue.
He said, the citizenship will be only granted after due investigation and recommendation of the state governments.
The Prime Minister asserted that his government is committed to provide shelter to those who are minorities in neighbouring countries and had to leave due after atrocities and torture inflicted on them.
In Agartala, he sought to attack the Left parties and said they are again keen for a ‘majboor (a weak)’ government in the centre.
“This will help them do the maneuvering,” he said.
“While coming to Agartala city from the airport, I saw cheerful faces of the people as they are now free from the clutches of the previous government’s rule after 25 years,” he said in reference to the CPI-M led Left Front government in Tripura.
