3 states in one day: PM Modi to visit Arunachal, UP, Gujarat today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit three states in one day – Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. The Prime Minister’s packed schedule on Saturday includes inauguration of Arunachal’s first “greenfield” airport.

A greenfield airport is one which is built on an undeveloped land. PM Modi will also visit his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi to flag off the month-long ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’. He will then be in his home state of Gujarat where polls are due in less than two weeks.

Here are ten points on PM Modi’s visit to three states:

1) In Arunachal Pradesh’s Itanagar, PM Modi will inaugurate the ‘Donyi Polo Airport. The name is a reference to age-old indigenous reference to Sun (Donyi) and Moon (Polo) in the northeastern state. Developed at a cost of ₹640 crore, the airport aims to boost connectivity and boost the trade and tourism in the region.

2) “Tomorrow, 19th November, is a special day for Arunachal Pradesh and the Northeast. The Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar will be inaugurated. This is the 1st greenfield airport in the state. Commerce and connectivity will gain immensely from this project (sic),” the Prime Minister wrote in a tweet on Friday. With a 2300 m runway, the airport is suitable for all weather day operations, a statement by his office read.

3) In Arunachal, PM Modi will also dedicate to the nation a 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station, which aims to make AP a power-surplus state. The project has been developed at a cost of ₹8,450 crore.

4) The Prime Minister will then head to Varanasi where he is scheduled to inaugurated the ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ programme, which is said to reflect the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.

5) The motive of the cultural programme is to “celebrate, reaffirm and rediscover the age-old links between Tamil Nadu and Kashi, two of the country’s most important and ancient seats of learning”, the Prime Minister’s office said.

6) Two top institutions – IIT and BHU – are the implementing agencies for the event, and over 2,500 delegates from Tamil Nadu are expected to visit the temple town.

7) In the evening, the Prime Minister will be in his home state of Gujarat where polls are due in two phases – December 1 and December 5; votes will be counted on December 8.

8) “In the evening tomorrow, 19th November, I will be in Valsad to address a campaign rally. All across Gujarat there is tremendous support for @BJP4Gujarat due to our proven track record of development. The anti-Gujarat agenda of the opposition is being comprehensively rejected. (sic),” PM Modi wrote in a tweet.

9) The BJP has been ruling in Gujarat for more than two decades and PM Modi was serving the state as the chief minister before he took charge in 2014.

10) On Friday, the BJP held rallies in 89 constituencies. The state has a total of 182 constituencies.