LIVE | PM Modi pushes for 'One district, One product' at Varanasi summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) on the campus of National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC) in Varanasi.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi laid the foundation stone of a medical college in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur. He also addressed a public rally there. He released a commemorative postal stamp on Maharaja Suheldeo in Ghazipur. However, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar, an MLA from Zahoorabad assembly constituency in Ghazipur district and a minister in Yogi Adityanath government, had said he will not attend the event.
During his speech, the prime minister urged people to keep faith in their "chowkidaar" and said he was striving hard for a bright future of the country.
PM Modi in Varanasi HIGHLIGHTS:
05:37 pm: Today over 50 crore internet connections working in India. Along with its expansion in cities, network is increasing in rural areas too. Digital India has not only added to our conveniences, it's a medium to reduce corruption: PM Modi
04:42 pm: PM Modi addresses One District, One Product Regional Summit in Varanasi
04:40 pm: PM Modi inaugurates the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) on the campus of National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC) in Varanasi.
PM Modi in Ghazipur Highlights:
1:56 pm: Our yojanas are not mere yojanas, but aim to empower people
1:55 pm: Many employment opportunities are going to be created here, says PM Modi
1:50 pm: Be wary of Congress and its lies, says PM Modi
1:49 pm: Had Congress made efforts for farmers during its tenure, our farmers would not have been burdened today
1:45 pm: Healthcare facilities worth crores are being readied up in Purvanchal
1:42 pm: It is for the first time in history that healthcare has been emphasized on so well
1:40 pm: Now with this medical college's construction, Ghazipur youths will be able to achieve their dreams of being doctors here itself
1:37 pm: Our government struggled for Maa Bharti's honour, says PM Modi
1:35 pm: Previous governments forgot Maharaja Suheldev and his contribution, says PM Modi
1:34 pm: Maharaja Suheldev belonged to all, and walked taking along everyone, says PM Modi
1:32 pm: Postal stamps have been released as a tribute to Maharaja Suheldev's contribution, says PM Modi
1:30 pm: You are the people who give me strength, says PM Modi
1:30 pm: PM lays foundation stone for medical college in Ghazipur
SBSP claims that invitation sent to party chief OP Rajbhar has Maharaja Suheldev's incomplete name and that 'Rajbhar' has been deliberately omitted.
Another ally - Apna Dal (S) - which is represented in the Union government by Anupriya Patel, an MP from Mirzapur, adjacent to Varanasi - has already expressed its 'frustration' over the treatment of smaller parties in the BJP-led NDA.
Anupriya Patel's husband Ashish Patel, who is the president of Apna Dal (S), had recently said smaller parties were feeling 'ignored' in the ruling alliance.
The Apna Dal (S) has presence in over 15 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, with its core voter base of Kurmi Patel, and nearly one lakh of them only in the prime minister's constituency.
WATCH: Trouble in NDA as allies boycott PM Modi's Ghazipur, Varanasi events
(With inputs from PTI)
