PM launches projects in Assam, invokes heritage

The government under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made vikas and virasat (development and heritage) its policy over the last 10 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, as he reiterated his pitch for a double-engine government.

- Utpal Parashar

Addressing his first public meeting in Guwahati, Assam, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the summer, the PM hit out at previous governments for failing to ensure simultaneous development and revival of the country's heritage after Independence. During his two-day visit to the state, the PM rolled out projects worth ₹11,600 crore.

"I am satisfied that in the past 10 years that situation has changed in India. The double-engine government of BJP has made both development and heritage (vikas and virasat) part of its policy," the PM said. The BJP has often used the term "double-engine" for its governments at the Centre and state levels.

The outcome of this policy can be seen in rural areas of Assam where places of faith and history have witnessed a boost with modern facilities, he said, adding that this revival happened concurrently with development.

"The youth of the country has got the direct benefit of our focus on development and heritage. There's enthusiasm in the tourism and religious pilgrimage sectors these days," the PM said.

He cited the examples of over 85 million devotees visiting the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi over the past year, over 50 million visiting Ujjain to witness Mahakal-Mahalaok, over 1.9 million going to Kedarnath Temple and 2.4 million visiting Ayodhya within 12 days of consecration of the Ram Temple.