'Attempts are made to ruin my image', says PM Modi in Bhopal

Bhopal, April 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a veiled attack on the opposition Congress accusing it of 'attempting' to tarnish his image. He said the attempt of deteriorating his image is being made since 2014 after the people of India elected him as Prime Minister.

Modi made the remarks in Bhopal where he flagged off 11th semi-high-speed Vande Bharat train at Rani Kamlapati Railway Station during his day-long visit to the city. It is the first Vande Bharat Express for Madhya Pradesh, which will run between Bhopal and New Delhi.

"Some people have taken pledge to ruin my image, and they have been making these attempts since 2014. Some of them are doing it within the country, while some are supporting these people from outside. But, the people of this country are my 'suraksha chakra' (security cover)," Modi said.

The Prime Minister appealed people not to fall into their fake trap and support the development vision of his government.

Modi's vailed attack on Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi came as the latter has questioned the relationship between him (Modi) and business tycoon Gautam Adani.

The Prime Minister went on saying that his opponents (Congress and Rahul Gandhi) were attacking on him with a new tacit everyday. "But, I would urge people of Madhya Pradesh to continue your support for the development vision and not to fall under false trap. Madhya Pradesh has a crucial role in the development of the country," Modi made this appeal to the people of Madhya Pradesh where the assembly elections are due this year.

Meanwhile, he also slammed the Congress for not upgrading India's railway connectivity despite being in the power for several decades. He said the Indian Railway used to get only Rs 600 crore budget before 2014, which now has increased up to Rs 13,000 crore.

"This is the basic difference between the Congress and the BJP governments. After Independence, we have got a setup model of Indian Railway, and it needed upgradation. However, previous governments focused only on keeping happy one family (indicated towards Gandhi family)," Modi added.

While gifting first Vande Bharat train to people of Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi said that, perhaps it would be first time in the history of India that one Prime Minister visited at the same Railway station twice within a short period of time. Notably, one of the two railway stations in Bhopal - 'Habibganj' was redeveloped with world class amenities and it was renamed after Gond Queen Rani Kamlapati in November 2021 by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.