Jharsuguda: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday reached Jharsuguda airport at around 1 pm and headed to the IIM-Sambalpur campus where Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will join him, officials said.
“On the way to Sambalpur, Odisha. I look forward to being among the people there. It is a matter of immense joy that development works worth over Rs. 68,000 crore will be inaugurated or their foundation stones would be laid. These works are linked to energy, coal, connectivity, railways and more. The permanent campus of IIM-Sambalpur will also be inaugurated, which will improve educational infrastructure as well,” he said.
On the way to Sambalpur, Odisha. I look forward to being among the people there. It is a matter of immense joy that development works worth over Rs. 68,000 crore will be inaugurated or their foundation stones would be laid. These works are linked to the energy, coal,…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 3, 2024
During the visit, Modi will address a public meeting, his first in the state in nearly five years.
Modi will address a public meeting at Remed Ground around 3pm, before leaving for Guwahati, officials said.
Stringent security arrangements have been made for the PM’s visit, they said.
He had addressed the last public meeting in the state in April 2019 in Kendrapara in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls and assembly elections in the state, which were held simultaneously. The prime minister visited the state thrice since then but did not address a rally.
The PM visited the state when cyclone Fani hit the state just after the 2019 elections. He came here again after cyclone Amphan in 2020, and then in June last year following the triple train crash in Balasore.
“PM Modi’s Sambalpur visit is politically important. We are elated that he will address a public meeting after a long gap in the state,” said state BJP president Manmohan Samal.
The PM’s visit to the state comes amid the Congress upping its ante, claiming that the ruling BJD and opposition BJP were working together.
Earlier this week, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a mega rally in Bhubaneswar, while next week, the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is scheduled to enter the state.
PNN & Agencies