Modi's development push in Varanasi ahead of 2019 LS polls, inaugurates projects worth Rs 2,413 cr

In a big development push in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi ahead of the 2019 general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a slew of projects here on Monday and took a swipe at previous governments for not taking such initiatives "decades ago".

Inaugurating projects worth Rs 2,413 crore here, he said the pilgrim city will witness a "confluence of nature, culture and adventure", and appealed to the people to "preserve the new face" of Kashi (Varanasi).

In a veiled attack on previous governments, Modi said, "Today is a historic day. Today Varanasi and the country (as a whole) is witnessing a development that should have taken place decades ago. But that did not happen."
Claiming that when he had initially spoken about launching a multi-modal terminal on the Ganga river, "people made fun and indulged in negative talks", the prime minister said, "But now, these projects are living examples of new India's new vision."
Recounting his government's achievements, the prime minister said, "We paid attention to small things which affect common people, like cleanliness and health. We worked on them seriously... rural cleanliness, which stood at below 40 per cent before 2014, is now over 95 per cent and this is a matter of pride for me."