PM Modi accuses Congress, SP of nepotism, urges 'non-political' youth to join politics
Varanasi (UP), Oct 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Congress and Samajwadi Party of practising nepotism to the extent that they overlooked Varanasi's development, and called on the youth from "non-political" background to join politics.
He said that the "dynasts" have harmed the country's youth the most.
The PM, who kickstarted developmental projects worth over Rs 6,700 crore in his parliamentary constituency from Sports Complex, Sigra during his one-day visit, said that till 10 years ago scams worth billions used to be in the headlines, "but it is no longer the case."
"The country is facing a huge threat from pariwarvad. They never believe in giving opportunities to the youth. That is why I appealed from the Red Fort about bringing one lakh such youth of the country into politics whose family has nothing to do with politics. This is a campaign to change the politics of India. This is a campaign to eradicate corruption and ideology of pariwarwad," he said.
The PM urged the youths of Uttar Pradesh, especially Varanasi, to become part of the "new politics" with an open mind. "Kashi has once again become a witness to giving new momentum to the nation," he said.
Modi alleged that Varanasi was shortchanged for a long time by earlier governments which believed in furthering their interests.
"What was the mentality due to which Kashi was deprived of development? Remember the situation 10 years ago, Varanasi had to yearn for development," he said.
"Why did those who ruled the government for a long time in Uttar Pradesh and decades in Delhi take no care for Varanasi? The answer is – nepotism and politics of appeasement. Be it the Samajwadi Party or the Congress, the development of Varanasi was neither their priority nor will it be in future. The BJP government runs on the ideology of 'sabka vikas'," the PM said.
"Today, in just 125 days, the start of work worth over Rs 15 lakh crore is being discussed in every household," he added.
Modi said his government has two major goals – to increase the convenience of the people and to give people jobs.
"Today, new highways are being built in the country, railway tracks are being laid on new routes, and new airports are being built. This is not just a work of stone and iron, but it is increasing the convenience of the people and creating jobs for the youth," he said.
Earlier, Modi inaugurated RJ Sankara eye hospital being run by the Kanchi Math.
The hospital will benefit people of 20 districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh as well as those living in the border areas of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, according to people associated with the Kanchi Math.
Among the projects, 16 development projects worth over Rs 3,200 crore are in Varanasi.
The PM also laid the foundation stone for the extension of the runway, construction of a new terminal building and allied work to be done at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi at a cost of approximately Rs 2,870 crore.
He said that from 70 airports in 2014, there are now more than 150 airports in the country.
"We are also renovating old airports. Last year, new facilities were built at more than a dozen airports in the country. Ayodhya also has a grand international airport welcoming Ram devotees every day.
"Just think, those were the days when Uttar Pradesh was taunted for its bad roads. Today, UP is known as a state with expressways. It is the state with the maximum number of international airports.
"A grand international airport is also going to be ready soon in Jewar, Noida," Modi said praising the Yogi Adityanath-led state government.
Modi credited his government for the reservation of women in legislatures and ending the practice of triple talaq.
"We gave constitutional status to the OBC commission, gave 10 per cent reservation to the poor without snatching anyone's rights," he said.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
