Modi: Denying hill folk development an injustice

Dehradun: Speaking at Mana, on the extreme fringes of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, PM Narendra Modi on Friday reminisced that he had convened a meeting of the working committee of BJP at Mana 25 years ago.

- Gaurav Talwar

“Having to traverse such a great distance in hilly terrain, the decision was frowned upon by party workers. However, I told them, ‘the day you understand the significance of Mana, people will give BJP a permanent place in their hearts’. Now your blessings have sent BJP to office for a second time in a row,” the PM said.

He added that people in the hills are “tough and hardworking, but that doesn’t mean they should be deprived of development and the facilities enjoyed by people elsewhere”. “Denying them development would be an injustice to their capacity for leading a hard life,” he added.

At Mana, Modi attended the Saras Mela, where he took a look at items made by local artisans. He urged tourists to set aside “5% of their travel budget” for local products. “It will give visitors a sense of satisfaction and memories to treasure forever and generate opportunities for locals in the region,” he said.

In the morning, the PM performed rudrabhishek (first puja of the day) at the inner sanctum of Kedarnath.