Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay his eighth official visit to Jharkhand on February 17, which is the highest by any Prime Minister in a five-year term, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed.
While Modi frequented Jharkhand as the NDA’s prime ministerial candidate during the 2014 election campaigns, his affinity towards the tribal State did not reduce even after taking charge as the Prime Minister of India.
Among his eight visits, three came in the past six months. Since coming to power in May 2014, he has launched various Government schemes and development projects from Ranchi, Chandwa, Sahibganj, Dhanbad, Hazaribag and Godda. He came to Ranchi twice during this period.
On February 17, he will inaugurate three medical colleges, one each in Hazaribag, Dumka and Daltonganj during a rally in Hazaribag. He is also likely to launch the ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi’ scheme, which promises Rs 6,000 to each farmer holding up to two hectares of land.
“No other Prime Minister has paid as many official visits to Jharkhand as Modiji in one term. This shows the care and concern he has for the State,” said BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo.
The party also took this opportunity to take a jibe at Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday claiming that he was yet to visit the State since the 2014 defeat in the general elections.
“Against Modiji’s eight visits, Rahul Gandhi paid zero visits to Jharkhand in the past five years. It is clear which political party sees Jharkhand as a priority,” Shahdeo added.
In 2014, the BJP won 12 of 14 parliamentary seats, the highest by a single political party since the formation of Jharkhand in 2000. Later in the year, it went on to win the assembly elections and formed the state’s first majority Government.
Modi’s Hazaribag rally is likely to be his last official visit to Jharkhand in the ongoing tenure. The State is set to vote for Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly polls this year.
BJP is busy making elaborate plans to ensure maximum attendance at the Hazaribag rally. Chief Minister Raghubar Das has already had meetings with senior office bearers and legislators and asked them to prepare for the PM’s visit.
Party sources said that BJP chief Amit Shah too is likely to visit Jharkhand a day before Modi’s rally and meet party workers in Godda, Rajmahal and Dumka.
