“Sin” to allow Narmada activists to “put their foot in Gujarat”: PM Modi

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In a covert attack against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that those who gave election tickets to the people who opposed the Narmada dam project for years should not be allowed to enter Gujarat.

Allowing such people to set foot in the state is like committing a sin, he said.

Speaking at a mega rally in the Mota Varachha area of ​​Surat city, which is considered a stronghold of Patidars, Prime Minister Modi also said he should fast for the completion of the Narmada dam project.

“People of Surat should remember one thing. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone for the project, but it lay still for 50 years. They (activists) made sure that no one in the world gave money to Gujarat for the dam project. She (AAP) gave tickets to such people,” he said.

“It is a sin committed if we allow such people to set foot in our state while destroying the future of three generations,” he added.

He was referring to the AAP, which had given a 2014 Lok Sabha election ticket to activist Medha Patkar, who was campaigning against the Sardar Sarovar Dam. Arvind Kejriwal, AAP’s national congress organizer, is currently camping in Surat and the party hopes it will win some seats in the city.

“Thanks to this dam, we were able to supply water to the parched areas of Saurashtra and Kutch,” said Prime Minister Modi, who served as the chief minister of Gujarat between 2001 and 2014.

He also accused Congress of delaying completion of the project, saying he would have to wait until he was prime minister to raise the height of the dam.

“Congress thinks there is no need to build infrastructure in the country, but the people of Surat know the importance of infrastructure,” he said.

“During the reign of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the center, we asked for a metro rail project and an airport for the city of Surat, but they did not budge. After the twin-engine government came, the airport in Surat is one of the busiest and subway work has begun,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi said twin engine governments are necessary for the growth of the country.

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