PM Modi woos Bihar voters in Mumbai, says quota will stay

It was an election-eve message well meant for the voters in Bihar, where the first phase of polling will take place on Monday. Addressing a gathering at MMRDA Grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex here on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi clarified NDA's stand on reservation – the most discussing election point in Bihar – and said that reservation is here to stay and that his party is not against it.

"Rumour-mongers are at work in states with Dalit, adivasi and Other Backward Class populace; that the BJP, once getting elected, will do away with reservation," Modi said.

The Prime Minister was in the city to lay the foundation stone for four projects – India's largest container port at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial at Indu Mills, Dahisar East-Andheri East metro line and Dahisar East-DN Nagar metro.

Addressing the gathering, attended in large numbers by the followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Modi said, "Some pious work is destined to be undertaken by us. The earlier government didn't bother to do anything. Is it that the (Indu Mill) land has suddenly popped up after we came to power?"

He said works are underway on the 'Panch Tirth' (five pilgrimage spots) dedicated to Dr Ambedkar. One of these would be in London, where he stayed while studying at London School of Economics. The other memorials would be at Indu Mills, at Alipur Road in Delhi, birth place in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh and ancestral place in Ratnagiri.

He also suggested to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis that a green belt be created at Indu Mills, planting saplings collected from each of the more than 40,000 villages of Maharashtra. "There should be saplings representing other states and countries as well," he said.

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu, Road, Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari and CM Fadnavis also came in for praise by the PM for the commendable work in a short span of 15 months. "It used to take 1 to 2 years earlier to prepare a Detailed Project Report on metro corridor. Now it was done in just four months' time," Modi said.

Appreciating CM Fadnavis' pet project, Jalyukta Shivar Scheme – a water conservation and management initiative, the PM said, "Not much was done for farmers because of which they are left to fight drought all the time. Your CM has taken the right step in troubleshooting drought problem."

Announcing November 26 as Constitution Day, Prime Minister Modi said the day will be dedicated to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and will serve as an opportunity for students across the country to gain insight into finer details of Indian Constitution and the man behind it.