Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Punjab on July 17 to flag off several railway projects. This will be his first trip to Punjab after the BJP decided to carve out its own path in the politically crucial state.
PM Modi’s visit assumes significance since the party had recently taken a decision not to go into an alliance with others for the forthcoming polls and will fight future elections alone in Punjab.
PM Modi will inaugurate the redeveloped Jalandhar Cantonment Railway Station, a 110-year-old station refurbished by the Central government as per the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. This is one of the 75 railway stations that PM Modi will inaugurate across the country as part of the ambitious plan to bring about modernisation in the railway sector. This project will provide better passenger amenities, improve access to railway stations and transform them into transport hubs.
Apart from launching this redeveloped station, he will also lay the foundation stone of another train service between Jalandhar and Varanasi. The train is named ‘Shri Guru Ravidass Ji Maharaj’ Express, after the revered saint who propagated principles of equality and social justice that continue to strike deep roots in Punjab, especially among the Scheduled Caste community.
While the launch of the train assumes importance because of the cultural connect that Guru Ravidass Ji had with Punjab and Varanasi, where he spent a good part of his life, this project assumes importance given the current political dynamics of Punjab, where parties are gearing up for future elections.
With Assembly elections some months away, Punjab BJP leaders are preparing for this visit and trying to project it as development-oriented.
In a Facebook post, Punjab BJP leaders welcomed PM Modi and projected this event as a milestone in their state. It was pointed out that PM Modi had visited many other states in the past few years, but did not have the opportunity to come to Punjab and now he will have an opportunity to meet the people of Punjab.
The visit assumes significance given that political activities are in progress in Punjab, where parties have started taking steps to sharpen their electoral strategy for future elections.
For the BJP, whose journey as a political party in Punjab is quite recent compared to other states, and it has been depending on the political alliance for several decades in the state, this visit will give an opportunity to reach out to voters in Punjab with a development message.
Preparations for the visit at Jalandhar station are in full swing, with security arrangements being reviewed and logistics being put in place for the programme.
