NEW DELHI: NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday to inaugurate the new phase of the Pune Metro through an online ceremony, and in a dig, also pointed out that he has already inaugurated the project “five times before”. Her call comes amidst concerns from local leaders who accused that the delay in opening the Metro line is politically motivated.
During a press conference, Sule expressed her regret over PM Modi‘s cancelled visit to Pune, which was postponed due to heavy rainfall in the city.”It is very unfortunate that we have missed PM Modi’s visit. It is Maharashtra’s culture to welcome a guest,” she said.
Sule highlighted that this would be the sixth occasion for the Prime Minister to inaugurate the Pune Metro project, adding, “So I request the PM to inaugurate Pune Metro online. It will help the people of Pune city, and the inauguration must not wait for the next visit of the PM.”
Pune NCP (SP) chief Prashant Jagtap alleged that the Metro route has remained closed despite being fully operational, as the government waited for PM Modi’s presence for the inauguration. Jagtap criticised the government’s decision, asserting that the Metro line between the civil court and Swargate is ready for public use.
Jagtap issued a decisive warning too, saying that if the government does not open the Metro line for public use, leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, will inaugurate the underground Metro corridor at 11 am on Friday. “The Metro line between Civil Court and Swargate is ready to be opened for the public, but it has been kept closed as (they) were waiting for PM Modi to inaugurate it,” he said.
PM Modi was scheduled to flag off the Metro train connecting the district court to Swargate and inaugurate several projects valued at over Rs 20,900 crore. However, due to inclement weather, these plans were disrupted.
Sule also commented on the broader political context, questioning the BJP’s focus on targeting prominent leaders such as Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray during Union minister Amit Shah‘s recent visit to Maharashtra, rather than serving the public.
She noted the “coincidence” of Sharad Pawar receiving an Enforcement Directorate notice on the same day five years ago, implying a pattern of political targeting leading up to elections.
When asked about recent trips to the United States by both PM Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Sule remarked on the historically strong India-US relations, which she attributed to former PM Manmohan Singh’s groundwork during Barack Obama’s presidency.