Ahead of Lok Sabha elections 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took forward BJP’s poll campaign and held public meetings in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

PM Modi first addressed the NDA Sankalp rally in Bihar’s Patna in the afternoon. This was the first political rally since 2009, when chief minister Nitish Kumar and the PM shared stage. Modi later headed to UP’s Amethi, where he addressed a public meeting and also laid the foundation stone of various development projects.

Follow Highlights here:

5:25 pm IST India has shown what women empowerment is: Modi India has shown what women empowerment is. Our defence minister, a woman, has shown to the world how to act in times of need: Modi





5:22 pm IST Farm loan waiver announced by UPA govt was a farce: Modi Farm loan waiver announced by UPA govt was a farce. Only few people received the waiver anyway. Rest was appropriated by their relatives and brokers: Modi





5:20 pm IST Land was taken for food park, but no industries came up: Modi Land was taken for food park. But no industries came up. Land was transferred in their name through the back door. Houses given to Dalits in 2008 started crumbling: Modi





5:17 pm IST First Rafale jet on Indian skies soon: Modi They sat on Rafale deal for years. Now they do not want to see the deal through due to their benefit. But the first Rafale jet will be on Indian sky soon: Modi





5:14 pm IST Earlier govt was least bothered about our armed forces: Modi Wasn’t it unfair not to provide latest weapons to our forces? That govt did not bother about our armed forces. People should be reminded how the govt delayed acquisition of bulletproof jackets for our forces. Who were these people who delayed production of weapons and acquisition of bulletproof jackets: Modi





5:10 pm IST Last govt delayed arms factory in Amethi: Modi Our forces will use rifles made in Amethi. This work should have started 8-9 years ago. Our forces had then made a request to the govt mentioning their needs. This was the reason this factory was sanctioned. Those who cannot do this much, how can someone trust them? They could not even decide on the arms to be manufactured here. They could not decide upon the land to be allotted: Modi





5:06 pm IST We have made ‘Made in Amethi’ a reality: Modi Thank Russian President Vladimir Putin for the joint venture. Possible in very short time due to him. Also thank Russian friends associated with the project. Some people roam all over the world and then in rallies, say ‘Made in Ujjain, Made in Indore’, etc. But we have made ‘Made in Amethi’ a reality: Modi





5:02 pm IST Smriti Irani worked more than the candidate who won: Modi The rain god has been kind today. Amethi is an example of sabka saath sabka vikas. Those who voted for us and those who didn’t, they are all our people. Smriti Irani was your candidate. Though we could not win, but we won your hearts: Modi





4:56 pm IST PM inaugurates projects in Amethi 17 projects worth Rs 538 crore inaugurated by PM Modi.





4:54 pm IST Sitharaman reads out Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement Welcome Russian-India entrepreneurship in manufacture of Kalashnikovs. For more than seven decades, we have been supplying defence products and technology to India: Sitharaman reads out Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement.





4:44 pm IST 2 lakh farmers in Amethi and Raebareli benefitted from PM’s schemes: Yogi 73,000 farmers in Amethi and 1.24 lakh farmers in Raebareli benefitted from Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme launched by PM Modi from Gorakhpur.





4:42 pm IST Surgical strikes show that this is a new India: Yogi Terror attacks happened earlier too. But surgical strikes in Myanmar and after Uri has showed that this is a new India. Northeast is peaceful now: Yogi





4:38 pm IST Yogi lists out achievements of NDA govt PM Modi has ensured that money is transferred directly to bank accounts of beneficiaries. Amethi was a VIP area, but cooking gas was not made available to women here: Yogi





4:32 pm IST Swachh Bharat extended to Pakistan now: Yogi Adityanath Kumbh is becoming more and more successful. Since independence, no leader paid attention to Kumbh. But beliefs should always be respected. Under PM’s leadership, Kumbh was brought under Swachh Bharat. He is the first PM to wash the feet of sanitation workers. Swachh Bharat has now been extended to Pakistan where terror camps are being eliminated: Yogi Adityanath





4:26 pm IST Defence company will produce AK-203 Kalashnikov rifles: Sitharaman My first trip to Amethi is because of the Indo-Russian collaboration between Indian Ordnance Board and Russia due to which the ordnance factory at Amethi’s Korwa was set up, says defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman. She says the company would produce AK-203 Kalashnikov rifles. Six UP cities will be connected to the UP defence corridor, she says.





4:22 pm IST 1.25L people benefitted from Ayushman Bharat: Irani Smriti Irani says 1.25 lakh people benefitted from Ayushman Bharat scheme. More than 2.11 lakh women in Amethi got ‘izzat ghar’ (toilets), she says.





4:18 pm IST BJP helped Amethi despite losing the seat: Smriti Irani Smriti Irani raises issue of a local Amethi woman who lost her son in foreign land. She said the woman found help from BJP but not from local MP. She says that in the last five years, despite losing Amethi, the BJP has continued to help Amethi.





4:16 pm IST Irani accuses Rahul of derogatory language against Modi Smriti Irani accuses Congress president Rahul Gandhi of using derogatory language against PM Modi.





4:12 pm IST Smriti Irani takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi PM Modi claps as Smriti Irani says that present on stage is India’s woman defence minister N Sitharaman despite the fact that the “Amethi MP” hurled abuses at her.





4:05 pm IST PM Modi arrives in Amethi PM Narendra Modi arrives in Amethi along with UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, defence minister N Sitharaman and Union textile minister Smriti Irani.





1:45 pm IST ‘Oppn wants to get rid of me, I want to get rid of terrorism’: PM Modi “Opposition tries to bring down Modi, while I insist on joining hands in countering terrorism and bringing an end to it,” said PM Narendra Modi at Patna rally.





1:35 pm IST Opposition let soldiers down in hour of need: PM Modi “When there was a need to speak as one against terror-factories, 21 parties in Delhi came together to protest against the NDA. Citizens won’t forgive it. Rather than encouraging the forces, they’re doing and saying things that are making the enemies smile They let our soldiers down in the hour of need by questioning and seeking proof of IAF air strike on Jaish camps in Pakistan,” said PM Modi at NDA’s Sankalp rally in Patna.





1:31 pm IST PM thanks Saudi crown prince for deciding to release 850 detained Indians “After talks with Saudi crown prince, only India’s quota for Haj increased, no other country has been extended this honour. Also, I thank Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince for deciding to free 850 Indians detained on various counts,” said PM Narendra Modi at Patna rally.





1:27 pm IST Eliminated role of middlemen: PM Modi “People of Bihar are very much aware of what all happened in the name of fodder. Only we have dared to end the culture of corruption and middlemen which had been normalised in the country for decades,” said PM Narendra Modi at NDA’s Sankalp rally in Patna.





1:20 pm IST NDA at Centre, Bihar ensures fast-paced development of state: PM Modi Because of NDA govt both at the Centre and in Bihar, the development work in Bihar has picked up a fast pace. Development of infrastructure is our priority, said PM Narendra Modi at Sankalp rally in Patna. The NDA government wants to ensure that all sections of the society in Bihar gain access to the best of facilities, he added.





1:10 pm IST PM Modi addresses NDA Sankalp rally PM Narendra Modi today began addressing the NDA Sankalp rally in Bihar’s Patna.





1:09 pm IST ‘Will win all 40 seats in Bihar’, CM Nitish Kumar assures PM Modi “We will win all 40 seats,” Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar assured PM Narendra Modi today at NDA Sankalp rally.





1:00 pm IST ‘A move to ensure Bihar’s development,’: Bihar CM on JD(U)-BJP tie up “Our alliance is for the purpose of ensuring development in the state of Bihar”, said CM Nitish Kumar on JD(U)-BJP tie up.





12:55 pm IST Govt will always take effective steps to counter terrorism: Nitish Kumar “With PM Narendra Modi at Centre, I am sure that the government will always take effective steps to counter terrorism,” said Bihar CM Nitish Kumar at NDA Sankalp rally.





12:45 pm IST Modi, Nitish share dias after a decade The stage is set for NDA’S “Sankalp” rally at the Gandhi Maidan on March 3, which will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar share the dais at a political rally for the first time since 2009. This is PM Modi’s second visit to the state within a fortnight, the first being on February 17 in Begusarai, from where he inaugurated and launched projects.





12:32 pm IST PM Modi set to address rally in Bihar’s Patna PM Narendra Modi today reached Patna. He is set to address a poll rally along with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.



