Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the Congress party of engaging in "negative politics" that undermines Uttarakhand’s development, urging it to abandon such tactics to remain relevant. Speaking at the Investment Festival in Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar district, Shah responded to a Congress leader’s social media post questioning the BJP government’s contributions to the state. “Congress is always doing negative politics, especially when development is taking place in Uttarakhand. It’s like squeezing lemon into milk to sour it,” Shah said, addressing a crowd at Manoj Sircar Sports Stadium.

Shah highlighted the BJP’s achievements, noting that the Narendra Modi government allocated Rs 1.86 lakh crore to Uttarakhand from 2014-2024, a 3.5-fold increase over the Rs 53,000 crore provided by the Congress-led UPA government between 2004-2014. He detailed additional investments, including Rs 31,000 crore for roads, Rs 40,000 crore for railway tracks, and Rs 100 crore for airports, totaling 4.25 times more than Congress’s contributions. Shah warned Congress against obstructing progress, stating, “Havan mein haddiyan mat dalo (Do not sabotage good work). If you don’t stop, the few of you left won’t be visible even with a telescope.”

The event marked the implementation of investment MoUs worth over Rs 1 lakh crore, signed during the 2023 Global Investors Summit in Dehradun. Shah praised Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for introducing 30 new policies on tourism, MSMEs, startups, and the service sector, alongside a single-window clearance system to attract investors. He emphasized that Ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, and organic farming, combined with projects like the Chardham all-weather road and ropeways to Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib, will boost tourism and local employment.

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Shah credited former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for creating Uttarakhand, noting that the state, along with Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, has defied skeptics by thriving. He also projected India’s rise to the world’s third-largest economy by 2027 under Modi’s leadership, citing a 60% increase in national highways, a 76% rise in exports, 88 new airports, and 25 crore people lifted out of poverty over the past decade.

Before the address, Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation for projects worth Rs 1,271 crore, underscoring the BJP’s commitment to Uttarakhand’s growth. He urged all parties to unite for development, criticizing Congress for creating hurdles instead of supporting progress.

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