Varanasi: Congress MLA Ajay Rai, who unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha elections against Narendra Modi, today termed as “mere propaganda” the adoption of village by the Prime Minister and opposed his plan to develop the temple town on the lines of Kyoto city of Japan.
Rai also attacked Modi for not giving him appointment during his two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency saying he wanted to discuss host of issues related to the development of the holy city.
Addressing a press conference, he alleged that he had given a letter to Modi's local parliamentary office here on November 3 seeking an appointment with the Prime Minister during his visit, but was ignored.
He also opposed development of the city on the line of Japan's Kyoto city saying, no attempt should be made to tamper with the sanctity and structure of this ancient holy city. “Rather let the spiritual city to remain in its own original form in which it has been for several thousand years,” he said.
The Congress MLA also said he wants development of the city and was willing to lend his whole heartedly support to the Prime Minister”...but doesn't want it to be developed on the lines of much-hyped Kyoto city model or even any other city of the western countries.”
Terming Modi's adoption of Jayapur village as “mere propaganda”, Rai said the PM had mentioned in his speech that he chose Jayapur village because he came to know about it after a mishap in which five people were electrocuted.
“But, none of the villagers were killed in the incident rather only few were injured. If PM has adopted any village and was not aware of those who were injured before Lok Sabha elections, to whom he had tried to provide all sorts of help and tweeted on this matter before the elections?” he said.
Rai also said unlike the PM, he had adopted entire villages of his Assembly constituency as an elected MLA and not just a single village, that encourages discrimination and sense of discontent among villagers.
On the Clean Ganga campaign, he said, Modi is not able to demolish Tehri dam in Uttarakhand, Ganga can never be cleaned whatsoever efforts he may make.
