PM Narendra Modi to lay foundation for Rs 60k crore UP projects

LUCKNOW: Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi for his speech during no-confidence motion, Prime Minisiter Narendra Modisaid here on Saturday that he was honoured to be a 'bhagidar' (shareholder) in people's misery.

"Yes...I am a bhagidaar of poor... I am bhagidaar of farmers affected by drought and floods...I am bhagidaar of zeal of the valiant soldiers on the border safeguarding our borders in one of the most inclement weather conditions," Modi said, while speaking at a function organised by the UP government to commemorate the third anniversary of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY), Smart City and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) here in Lucknow. Modi will on Sunday attend a groundbreaking ceremony for projects involving an investment of Rs 60,000 crore, pledged after an investors' summit here earlier.

He attacked the opposition for reaching out to people for votes but not bothering about their problems. "But I think about the poor family and common people and try to share their problems," said Modi, minutes after interacting with women beneficaries of PMAY from states. "Some people used to wonder, how could a 'chaiwala' become PM? It is this kind of thought which is stopping us from growing," the PM said, adding he came from a humble background and, therefore, knew what it meant to be poor.