This was the Prime Minister’s second visit to poll-bound Chhattisgarh in the last two months.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Thursday that his government has built airports in areas where previous governments failed to construct roads.

The Prime Minister was in Chhattisgarh on Thursday to dedicate the modernised Bhilai Steel Plant unit to the public and lay the foundation stone for a permanent campus of the country’s 23rd Indian Institute of Technology in Bhilai.

Mr. Modi inaugurated an air service between Chhattisgarh capital Raipur and Jagdalpur, the district headquarters of the Maoist insurgency in the Bastar region of south Chhattisgarh. He also inaugurated the Unified Control and Command center in Naya Raipur area.

IIT in Bhilai

At a rally in Bhilai, the Prime Minister said:

“Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh tried hard to bring an IIT here during the last [UPA] government’s rule, but you know what kind of people ruled the country then. He tried for 10 years but achieved nothing. But when we came to power, with blessings from Chhattisgarh, we took an immediate decision [of sanctioning an IIT for Chhattisgarh].

''The proposal for five new IITs, including one in Bhilai, was given the go-ahead. A modernised IIT campus, by spending hundreds of crores, will be set up here for talented students from Chhattisgarh and across India.

''The BJP government’s stress is on the technological enhancement which is why Digital India is being promoted. We are making airports in areas where previous governments’ couldn’t construct roads.

''My dream is to see a man, who is using ‘Hawaii Chappal,’ to fly by plane. Now the distance between Raipur and Jagdalpur has been reduced to 40 minutes from seven to eight hours.”

This was the Prime Minister’s second visit to poll-bound Chhattisgarh in the last two months.

“This area isn’t new to me. I used to travel on two-wheelers for organisation work here when this area was a part of Madhya Pradesh. In the last 25 years, I have visited Chhattisgarh almost every year and traveled to almost every district of this State,” he claimed.

No mention of Opposition parties in speech

Mr. Modi, however, did not mention the Opposition parties, including the Congress party during his 35-minute lspeech. It was focused on development done by the Raman Singh government in the State and the BJP-led NDA government in the last four years.

He claimed to have dedicated schemes worth ₹22,000 crore to the State people on Thursday that would create jobs and improve connectivity in the State, which has been battling Maoist insurgency for decades now..

'Answer to violence is only development'

He said:

“Now, people are traveling more by air than by trains. There was a time when Raipur would witness hardly three flights in a day but now around 50 flights take off and land here. In the last four years, a large number of youths has joined the mainstream in Chhattisgarh and in other parts of the country. The answer to any form of violence is only development, development and development. Development can end all types of violence. We have tried to create an atmosphere of confidence by bringing development.

“There was a time when Bastar would be associated with guns, bombs, and violence, but today Bastar is in news for an airport. This is Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision and Raman Singh has worked hard to take it forward. Every time I speak to him [Raman Singh], he comes up with a new scheme with enthusiasm.

“The steel produced in the Bhilai Steel Plant had been used for constructing rail tracks across the country. Bhilai has not only made steel but made this country. This plant is the foundation of new India. The Nagarnar steel plant will also help the people of Bastar. We have made a big change in the law to make sure that mineral’s benefits are given to the local people which is why we set up District Mineral Corporations in every mining district. It has helped Chhattisgarh in getting ₹3,000 crore extra fund, which is being spent on development work.

''We are making sure that every villager gets a gas and electricity connection, a bank account, insurance, proper vaccination and LED bulbs. The Gram Suraj Abhiyan is a big medium of people’s participation.

''In Chhattisgarh, 1.30 crore accounts have been opened under the Jan Dhan Yojana, 37 lakhs toilets constructed, 22 lakh gas connections have been provided under Ujjawala Yojna, 26 lakh people have been given Mudra loan, 60 lakh people have been provided with insurance and 13 lakh farmers have been given benefits of crop insurance scheme. A new chapter of development has opened here and this light has illuminated every house.”

Mr. Modi pointed out that the Central and State government schemes were focused on building the future of poor and tribals, and claimed that the government was focusing on increasing tribal income.