Minutes after he officially inaugurated the first stretch of the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai expressway in Rajasthan's Dausa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately jumped into campaigning mode for his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. After his outreach to the Meena community, listing the BJP-led Centre's contribution to the state's development, and promising a slew of solutions to the state's issues, he attacked the state's ruling party, Congress, accusing it of not developing border villages out of 'fear of enemies'.
He further alleged that the grand old party delays progress and development, doesn't work, and doesn't let anyone else work.
PM Modi also took a swipe at Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's goof-up in the state Assembly while presenting the state budget -- he had started reading last year's budget instead -- saying anyone can make mistakes, but Congress has no vision, and their budget announcements are only on paper and don't reach the people. He (Mr Gehlot) had presented the budget last year, and just kept it in a box all year, the PM added.
"We want freedom from such government, and want 'vikas ki sarkar (a government of development)'," PM Modi said.
Setting the tone for what is going to be a high-stakes election, PM Modi, addressing the rally, said, "Wish you had a double-engine government here. Congress delays progress and development. They don't work and don't let anyone work".
The PM, in the beginning of his speech, invoked local deities, recalled his visit to Bhilwara, calling it "Meen bhagwan ki dharti (the land of Lord Meen)". Lord Meen is worshipped by the Meenas, a crucial tribal vote bank which constitutes a majority of the state's 13.48% tribal population.
Congratulating the people on the occasion, he said this is 'vikas ka utsav (festival of development)'.
"Alwar, Bharatpur, Tonk, Bundi, and Kota will also benefit (from the expressway), in addition to Dausa. You can reach the big markets of Delhi, especially for agricultural produce. This will benefit farmers," he said.
"This is just a trailer. The film is yet to come. Rajasthan has given me love and blessings. I bow before it. Rajasthan is a land of brave people," the Prime Minister said, and went on to detail the focus of his government -- Bijli (electricity), jal (water), and homes for the poor.
"For the progress of our country, we need modern infrastructure and good connectivity. We have been focusing on road, rail. Our focus is on gaon, gareeb, aur madhyam varg (villages, poor, and the middle class). We are spending more than earlier governments," he said.
The PM repeated his remark from the inauguration, that infrastructure creations lead to more employment and business.
1 Dead, Over 22 Injured As Bus Falls Off Culvert On Delhi-Mumbai Expressway 6 Of Family Killed After Car Rams Truck Taking U-Turn On Rajasthan Highway PM Modi To Attend 3-Day Police Chiefs' Conference In Rajasthan Today Under-Fire Trainee IAS Officer Accuses Pune Collector Of Harassment Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Recalled To Academy, Training Put On Hold "No Defamatory Remarks Against Governor": High Court To Mamata Banerjee Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs. 2.39 Lakh Admission Deadline Extended For EWS And Special Needs Children UGC Launches Project To Develop 22,000 Books In Indian Languages Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.