Farmers Movement Archive

Four more visits in Dec, Modi already criss-crossed UP with inauguration spree

Lucknow: When PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the ambitious 594km-long Ganga expressway from Shahjahanpur on Saturday, he had criss-crossed almost all six organisational regions of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh to drum up BJP’s flagship projects. And he completed the cycle even as four more visits are scheduled in the next 10 days. Experts point out Shahjahanpur, from where the PM rolled out the country’s longest expressway project, comes under BJP’s Braj organizational region comprising 36 assembly seats. Likewise, inauguration of Jewar airport in Gautam Buddh Nagar by Modi on November 25 covered the west UP region comprising 71 assembly seats, where BJP felt the heat from farmers’ unrest against the now repealed farm laws. This was immediately followed by Union home minister Amit Shah laying the foundation for Maa Shakumbhari Devi University in Saharanpur’s Behat Assembly constituency on December 2. On November 16, the PM chose to flag off Purvanchal expressway from Sultanpur, which falls in the Gorakhpur organizational region, comprising 62 assembly seats. In fact, Modi specially visited Gorakhpur, the political backyard of CM Yogi Adityanath, to inaugurate AIIMS and a revived fertilizer factory on December 7 in what was BJP’s bid to put Modi on the forefront to escalate the poll blitz in politically crucial east UP. A week later, on December 14, PM Modi inaugurated the first phase of Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor, igniting BJP’s Hindutva pitch in Kashi organizational region comprising 71 assembly seats. The development also saw the spotlight shifting to Ayodhya — a key Hindutva nerve centre — which was visited by BJP president JP Nadda and CMs of 11 BJP-ruled states to offer prayers at Ramjanmabhoomi. Similarly, Modi’s visit to Balrampur on December 11 to inaugurate the Saryu Canal project marked BJP’s attempt to step up its campaign in Awadh region comprising 82 assembly seats. On November 19, the PM visited Mahoba in Bundelkhand organizational region comprising 19 assembly seats to inaugurate a host of key irrigation projects, including Arjun Sahayak canal. His visit to Bundelkhand coincided with his announcement to annul the three contentious farm laws and then launch an attack on opposition accusing them of pushing farmers in a quandary to cement their foundation. Experts said, PM touching all organizational regions coincides with BJP launching its flagship Jan Vishwas Yatra by senior BJP leaders from six regions on Sunday. BJP leader and party’s secretary, Chandra Mohan, said PM Modi is the leader of the double-engine BJP government. “He was bound to touch every organizational region to set the tone for the party’s election campaign,” he said.

The Times of India

2021-12-19

Allahabad