Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the promises made by him for Jharkhand, saying the 'Modi ki Guarantee' campaign fell flat when Lok Sabha polls results came out and the people of Jharkhand will finish whatever is left of it as well on November 13 and 20.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh listed some of the promises made by the PM and also the current status of the projects.
"Medical College in Koderma: The college was supposed to be built on --70 acres of land and offer 100 MBBS seats. The non-biological PM laid its foundation stone six years ago, in 2018, and then promised to complete the project again in 2019. It is yet to materialize," he said.
Ramesh pointed out that during his campaign for Jharkhand’s 2014 assembly elections, Modi had promised a range of industrial and educational projects, including a premier IT institution and several engineering colleges.
However, only two institutions were ever established, National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT Ranchi) and Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET Khunti), he said, adding that these too, after nine and seven years respectively, do not have a permanent campus.
"In October 2022, the Railway Ministry sanctioned the Chatra-Gaya rail project but two years later, no progress has been made. BJP leaders have consistently promised the Korba-Lohardaga line, but it has also been given a silent burial," Ramesh said.
Just ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the PM laid the foundation stone of the Mandal dam project with great fanfare, he said.
"Conceptualised to address agrarian distress in Jharkhand and Bihar, the project has languished even while the state has suffered back-to-back droughts in recent years," Ramesh claimed.
The Congress leader further said that Jamshedpur had a functional airport until 2016 but despite being inducted into the UDAN scheme in 2018, plans for a new airport have failed to materialise.
"In January 2019, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Jharkhand Government and the Airports Authority of India for the construction of Dhalbhumgarh Airport by December 2022. This would have been a massive boost to the industrial sector, from major players like Tata to the MSME sector in Adityapur," he said.
When the December 2022 deadline came and went, BJP’s own MPs were compelled to raise the issue in Parliament, Ramesh said, adding that on February 27, 2023, the Union Civil Aviation Minister responded and confirmed that the project had been abandoned.
"Unsurprisingly, the Modi ki Guarantee campaign fell flat on June 4, 2024. On November 13 and 20, the people of Jharkhand will finish whatever is left of it as well," Ramesh said.
The results of the Lok Sabha polls were declared on June 4 this year. Jharkhand goes to polls on November 13 and 20 in two phases. The results would be announced on June 23.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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