- Public registration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s programme in Vadodara on Tuesday filled up within an hour after the event was listed for free on BookMyShow.
- While registration has now been closed, more than 42,000 people have been placed on the waiting list, officials said, as per PTI.
- PM Modi made remarks at the NaMo for Viksit Bharat event in Gujarat's Vadodara, where he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 35,000 crore.
- During his Vadodara visit, PM Modi inaugurated, laid foundation stones for, and flagged off projects worth over Rs 35,200 crore, with railway work forming the largest component.
- These included development projects worth more than Rs 30,766 crore under Railways, including the completion and inauguration of three sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.
- PM Modi jibed at critics, saying "One naraz fufa ji will be crying out, ‘What will the truck drivers do?’ Uncle Ji now has work."
- Congress leader Kharge responded on X, saying that adjectives like 'Naraz Fufa' keep changing, but the Modi government's anti-people policies do not change.
- The event is Modi’s public programme at the Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) Pavilion Ground in Vadodara on September 8.
- The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) is using the private ticketing platform to handle registrations.
- The event will also use a fully digital entry system. Those who registered will receive an M-Ticket through their BookMyShow accounts, with a live QR code that will be scanned for entry.
- This isn't Modi's first major event to sell out. In 2019, the ‘Howdy, Modi!’ community event in Houston drew more than 50,000 registered attendees and was declared sold out.
- In July this year, his ‘Melbourne Meets Modi’ community event also reportedly sold out within hours, with 35,000-40,000 people expected.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects worth over ₹35,200 crore in Vadodara, including key sections of the Dedicated Freight Corridor. He emphasized the corridor's completion as a historic achievement for India, stating it was conceived in 2004 but stalled until the BJP took power in 2014.3
Modi remarked, "The freight corridor project was conceived in 2004 but nothing moved till BJP came to power in 2014," highlighting the urgency of modernizing infrastructure. The projects include over ₹30,766 crore for railways, with the completion of three sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.5
The event, titled “NaMo for Viksit Bharat,” saw tickets sell out in just an hour on BookMyShow, with over 42,000 people on the waiting list. Modi's outreach to young voters included jibes at critics, saying, "One naraz fufa ji will be crying out, ‘What will the truck drivers do? Uncle Ji now has work,'" referring to those who oppose his policies.26
The new freight services are expected to enhance connectivity with the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, reducing logistics costs and easing pressure on Mumbai's railway network. Modi also flagged off a new passenger train service and dedicated a new rail line to connect remote areas.
The completion of the Dedicated Freight Corridor is seen as a significant step in India's infrastructure development, with Modi asserting that the country must adapt to the changes brought by Artificial Intelligence.
“The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor sections cover 326 route kilometres and cost over ₹20,700 crore, expected to speed up export-import cargo movement and ease pressure on Mumbai's railway network. Congress leader Kharge hit back on X, saying 'adjectives keep changing, but the Modi government's anti-people policies do not change.'”
The Indian Express
