Zero plus zero equals zero: Adityanath on Priyanka's entry in active politics
Noida (UP), Jan 25: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's entry into active politics would not have any impact on the outcome of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as "zero plus zero results in zero".
Adityanath also dubbed Priyanka Gandhi's appointment as the Congress general secretary for eastern UP an extension of the "political dynasty" culture in the party.
"Zero plus zero results in zero. This would not make any impact on the poll outcome. With her appointment, the Congress has only extended its culture of political dynasty," he told reporters here.
Priyanka Gandhi, 47, the sister of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, was Wednesday appointed the party's general secretary for UP East, effective from February. Her region of responsibility would also include Gorakhpur, from where Adityanath has been a five-time member of parliament.
The chief minister, who was here to inaugurate the Noida-Greater Noida Metro Rail and half-a-dozen infrastructure projects, also took on rivals Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party.
"Earlier there was a jinx associated with Noida and Greater Noida. It was said that any chief minister who visits this region loses his/her chair. Hence this region remained ignored," he said referring to former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, without naming them.
"When I became the chief minister, I was asked if I would visit the twin-cities in western UP, I said why not! Noida and Greater Noida are also part of UP. We are not working for the chair or power, we are working for the people. I have visited this region multiple times since March 2017 and would continue to do so in future," Adityanath said.
Flanked by Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, he hit out at the previous governments for not being able to complete development works in a time-bound manner.
"During the previous Samajwadi Party's government's full term in the state, 20,000 houses were sanctioned under the central housing scheme for all, but in a short span of time, we have built more than eight lakh houses. We are speeding up our efforts to make more houses for the people, he said.
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PM to visit Assam, Bengal on March 13-14; launch various development programmes
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said he will visit Assam and West Bengal in the next two days and attend various programmes and inaugurate development initiatives which will present a wonderful opportunity to interact with the people of the two states.
Modi said the 22nd instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme would be released on Friday at a programme in Guwahati, which is "very special", besides presenting land rights to 3.5 lakh tea garden workers' families.
"I will be in Assam and West Bengal over the next two days to attend programmes in Kokrajhar, Guwahati, Silchar and Kolkata. These programmes will present a wonderful opportunity to interact with the people of these states. Various development works will also be inaugurated," he said in a series of posts on X.
The prime minister said that in addition to this, various works like the Kopili Hydro-Electric Project, Capacity Enhancement Project of NSPL will be inaugurated.
He said the foundation stone for the Furkating-Tinsukia rail line doubling project, cruise terminals at Bishwanath Ghat in Biswanath district and Neamati in Jorhat district will also be laid.
"These, along with the other works, will add momentum to Assam's progress. I look forward to being in Kokrajhar, a place associated with the great Bodo culture," he said.
Modi said the foundation stones would be laid for important road connectivity projects, including Assam Mala 3.0 which would significantly improve inter-state connectivity. Three new train services, namely the Kamakhya-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express, Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Express and Narangi-Agartala Express will be flagged off, he said.
"A historic step towards justice and dignity. I compliment the NDA Government in Assam for this. We are proud of the hard work of the tea garden families and will always work to further their well-being," he said on conferment of land rights to tea garden workers.
Prime Minister Modi will visit West Bengal on Saturday, during which he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones of multiple development projects worth around Rs 18,680 crore in Kolkata.
Both Assam and West Bengal will face assembly elections in the next couple of months.
An official statement said that these initiatives "reflect the central government's continued commitment to strengthening infrastructure, enhancing connectivity and accelerating economic growth in West Bengal and eastern India".
According to the statement, the prime minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for several national highway projects with a combined length of more than 420 km, worth around Rs 16,990 crore, which would give a major boost to road infrastructure in the region.
The projects being inaugurated include sections of NH-19 in West Bengal and Jharkhand and of NH-114 in West Bengal.
These projects are expected to enhance road safety, reduce travel time, ease congestion and pollution, improve regional connectivity, and promote tourism and boost economic growth in the region, the statement said.
Modi will lay the foundation stone for several new national highway projects.
The project forms part of the economic corridor between Kharagpur and Siliguri and will pass through Paschim Medinipur, Birbhum, Bankura, Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly, and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal.
Direct Kharagpur-Morgram connectivity will reduce travel distance by around 120 km and save nearly seven to eight hours of travel time. The corridor will also integrate with key national highways, including NH-16, NH-19, NH-14 and NH-12, thereby strengthening multi-corridor connectivity.
During the visit, the prime minister will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for several shipping and port-related projects. He will inaugurate the mechanisation project of Berth number two at Haldia Dock Complex, which will enable efficient, faster and environment-friendly cargo handling.
The project will enhance cargo handling capacity, facilitate efficient full-rake rail loading systems, improve key performance indicators, increase safety by reducing human exposure to hazardous operations, and generate employment.
Modi will also inaugurate the rejuvenation project at the Khidderpore Docks in Kolkata.
The other projects include renovation of the Bascule Bridge at Kolkata Dock System; yard development, including drainage systems, at Kidderpore Dock-I (East) and Dock-II (East); bank protection works along the Kolkata riverfront from the Howrah Bridge pylon to Nimtala Ghat, among others.
In the railways sector, the prime minister will flag off the Purulia-Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi) Express, strengthening rail connectivity among West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and the National Capital Region.
During the visit, Modi will also inaugurate six redeveloped railway stations -- Kamakhyaguri, Anara, Tamluk, Haldia, Barabhum and Siuri -- under the Amrit Station Scheme.
He will also dedicate to the nation two railway projects -- the 16-km-long third rail line between Belda and Dantan, and the automatic block signalling system between Kalaikunda and Kanimohuli.
These projects will improve train safety and punctuality, reduce congestion and enhance the overall ease of travel for passengers in the region.
