PM launches mega projects, lauds B'luru

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration of the 108 feet-tall bronze statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, called Statue of Prosperity, at Kempegowda International Airport, in Bengaluru on Friday

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The unveiling of a gigantic 108 feet tall statue of Bengaluru founder Kempegowda, the launch of the swanky Rs 5,000 crore Terminal-2 at the city’s international airport and the flagging off of two trains from the railway station-PM Narendra Modi had a busy schedule in the city on Friday and did what the BJP government in the state wanted him to-deliver a fiery speech on the strides India had made and the need for advancing social infrastructure along with physical infra.

Karnataka goes to polls in five months from now and the state BJP-in the absence of a powerful mascot to guide it to a win-is looking to the central leadership and PM Modi in particular to come to its rescue in a state where its fortunes are on the ebb.

Rather than focusing his firepower on the Opposition Congress, which has been aggressively campaigning against the Basavaraj Bommai government on widespread corruption and maladministration, the PM maintained a studious silence on the crucial issues raised by the opposition and instead spoke of the Rs 4 lakh crore investment Karnataka had drawn and the fact that it stood first in attracting FDI besides achievements in the IT, BT, defence manufacturing, space technology and electric vehicle manufacturing sector.

Modi also paid floral tributes to the statues of saint poet Kanaka Dasa and Maharshi Valmiki at Vidhana Soudha premises. He flagged off the Vande Bharat Express and Bharat Gaurav Kashi Darshan Train at the KSR Railway Station here.

The PM also said more than 400 Vande Bharat trains and Vistadome coaches, will become the new identity of Indian railways.

Mohandas Pai slams BJP MP Tejasvi Surya

Former director of Infosys, Mohandas Pai, who is known to be soft on the saffronists, however does not let go of a chance to call a spade a spade and has made critical remarks on the city's infrastructure earlier.

On Friday when PrIme Minister Narendra Modi visited the city, Pai directed his barbs at Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya telling him to “spend more time in Bengaluru'' and better his city’s infrastructure.

On November 10, Tejasvi had posted pictures of his visit to Atal Bridge at the Sabarmati Riverfront. “Gujarat is emerging as a global tourism hub due to the efforts of the double engine governments of BJP,” he tweeted.

Maybe annoyed over this, Pai took to social media site and said, “Please spend more time in Bengaluru making sure we get good roads which are pothole free, better traffic, and cleaner roads without debris. You are our MP and we need you here.

We have the same double engine government here, but does it not work?” The former Infosys director's tweet had gone viral when the PM had visited the city in September. He had highlighted the city’s crumbling infrastructure and complete mismanagement.