News Politics National Live reporting: Modi addresses Chennai rally

Live reporting: Modi addresses Chennai rally

Chennai: Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi today addressed a rally in Chennai. Earlier, BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today replied to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's charge that people who spent

3:20 am: Modi says, Assam has the mightiest Brahmaputra river whose water goes waste, and people in Guwahati face water crisis. In Gujarat, we are not fortunate to have the Brahmaputra, we only have the Narmada river. We  set up thousand kilometres of pipes till Kutch border to provide water till our border. the diameter of the pipes are so big that Tarun Gogoi (Assam CM) alongwith his family in a Maruti car can go through that pipe. The crowd applauses.

3:18 pm: The eight states of Northeast including Sikkim are "Ashta Lakshmi" Lakshmiji sits on a kamal (lotus). Once you bless the lotus, the Ashta Lakshmi, the eight Northeast states will prosper.

3:16 pm: BJP's vision is to bring about development all along the eastern flank, right from Assam and Manipur to West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh. It was Vajpayee's vision who wanted the progress of Northeast. He gave Rs 40 lakh crore worth package to the Northeast. Vajpayee had directed all major departments at the Centre to allocate 10 per cent of their budgets for the Northeast. Had Vajpayee won the 2004 elections, the Northeast would have prospered.

3:15 pm:
Look at India's map. On the western coast, there is development and progress, and look at the east, there is too much poverty. The Prime Minister who speaks of inclusiveness, must also look towards East. It has the largest natural resources, but is lagging behind because of lack of good leadership and vision

3:13 pm: Blasts take place, innocents die, people are being murdered, our jawans in CRPF also get killed, but they (Congress)  are not bothered. Your thinking cannot change just by taking names, says Modi amidst applause.