The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Bihar): The Congress party accused the Modi government of betraying the youth by introducing the Agnipath scheme. They questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi supports the scheme despite its negative impact on youth employment. As Modi campaigned in Bihar, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised questions about unfulfilled promises of new airports and idle sugar mills in the state.
“Keeping up our ‘tempo’, here is a ‘bori’ of four questions for the outgoing Prime Minister in Bihar today: Where are the promised airports for Muzaffarpur, Purnea, or Bhagalpur? Why are Bihar’s sugar mills lying idle?” the Congress general secretary asked in a post on X.
Ramesh also highlighted unfulfilled promises regarding airport construction. Despite promises made by Modi in 2019 and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s commitment to operationalize the Patahi airport, the airport remains neglected, with broken boundary walls and buffaloes roaming the runway. This situation extends to Purnea and Bhagalpur, where promised airports remain unrealized.
“However, an AAI ground team from just last month (March 2024) found that the land plot has broken boundary walls, and buffaloes roam the runway. What has the government been doing for 5 years? Patahi Airport joins Purnea and Bhagalpur as cities that need and deserve airports, but have only received broken promises under the Bharatiya Jumla Party. Why has the PM repeatedly lied to the people of Bihar on this subject?” Ramesh asked.
Highlighting the potential of Bihar’s sugar industry, Ramesh noted that the state once produced 40% of India’s sugarcane but now only contributes 4%. He criticized the government’s failure to revive the sugar mills, including the Motipur Sugar Mill in Muzaffarpur, which has been idle for years despite promises to restart it.
“In 2014, the outgoing PM promised to revive the Motipur Sugar Mill in Muzaffarpur, one of the largest and most important, especially for the farmers of the Tirhut region. 10 years have passed, and Motipur Mill, along with at least 20 other sugar mills, remains defunct. Why has the PM failed to deliver employment and industry in the state of Bihar? Why is he unable to deliver on a promise as simple as reviving a sugar mill?” Ramesh asked.
Ramesh also questioned the effectiveness of the Namami Gange project, which aimed to clean the Ganges River but has seen an increase in pollution. Despite spending over Rs 20,000 crore, pollution levels in the river have worsened, with disease-causing bacteria increasing significantly.
“Where are the results? In Bihar, the number of polluted stretches of the river has increased by 200% in just 4 years – from 6 in 2018 to 18 in 2022. Disease-causing bacteria have increased 84 times. Out of the 38 districts in Bihar, sewage is only being treated in 2 districts. Why has the PM been completely unable to clean up the Ganga after 10 full years in power? Where is our tax money being wasted or stolen, given that it is obviously not being spent on the Ganga?” he asked.
Addressing the Agnipath scheme, Ramesh emphasized the widespread opposition from the youth, who are concerned about their long-term job prospects after serving only four years in the army. He noted that the Congress ‘NyayPatra’, the manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, promises to scrap the scheme if the party comes to power.
“Even if we ignore the unrealistic expectation of preparing young soldiers for battle within 6 months, how can we ignore the scheme’s impact on their long-term job prospects? Where will young recruits go after spending four years of their prime in the army? In a country that has been rocked by rampant unemployment under the BJP’s mismanagement of the economy, what options do the youth have?” he asked.
“Does the PM stand by his Government’s flagship Agnipath program despite the popular protests against it,” Ramesh asked, urging the prime minister to break his silence on the issue.