PM Modi says opposition’s mantra is ‘promotion of family’

Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the opposition of being interested only in ‘promoting’ their families and bothering very little about the country.

Speaking at a function after inaugurating and dedicating developmental projects worth over Rs 3800 crore in his Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi, Modi said that it has been his government’s efforts in the past ten years to ensure the progress of all.

‘’Vipaksh ka ek hi mantra hai...Parivaar ka saath aur parivaar ka vikas,’’ (the only mantra of the opposition is the promotion of family interests), the Prime Minister said on his 50th visit to Varanasi since being elected from there in 2014.

‘’While we move forward with service to the nation as our mantra, there are some who are busy playing games to grab power,’’ Modi said.

He said that the development of Kashi (the old name of Varanasi) had gathered tremendous pace in the past ten years. ‘’Kashi has kept pace with modernity while preserving its heritage....today Kashi is not only ancient but also progressive,’’ Modi added.

Modi also referred to Dalit icons like Mahatma Jyotiba Phule on her birth anniversary and said that he and Savitribai Phule dedicated their lives to the welfare of women.

‘’We draw inspiration from them,’’ he said.

The Prime Minister said that India, today, was the biggest producer of milk in the world. ‘’Milk production has increased 65 per cent in the past ten years....we are developing the dairy industry in a mission mode,’’ he added.

Soon after he arrived at the Babatpur Airport in Varanasi, Modi was briefed about the recent incident of alleged gangrape of a woman by 22 people over a period of six days at different places in the Varanasi town.

He asked the officials to nab all the accused persons and ensure that they get stern punishment.