'No-confidence vote against PM...': Congress ahead of Modi's Varanasi visit
What's the story
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first visit to Varanasi after his win in the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress on Tuesday said the constituency's voters had given a vote of no confidence in him.
The party said that PM Modi only narrowly defeated his Congress opponent after trailing in multiple counting rounds.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh also presented the PM with nine questions regarding issues in his constituency, inquiring why these matters have not been addressed.
Concerns
Ramesh highlights Varanasi's unresolved issues
Ramesh questioned the PM on why the Ganga River remains "dirtier than before" despite the ₹20,000 crore expenditure on the Namami Gange project.
He also asked about the rejection of nomination papers for 33 candidates in Varanasi during the parliamentary elections.
"The 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri is visiting Varanasi again, a few weeks after he barely eked out a victory after trailing @kashikirai [the Congress's Varanasi candidate Ajay Rai] for multiple rounds of voting," Ramesh said in an X post.
Twitter Post
Read Ramesh's full post here
The एक तिहाई Pradhan Mantri is visiting Varanasi again, a few weeks after he barely eked out a victory after trailing @kashikirai for multiple rounds of counting. It was a vote of no confidence in him by the people of Varanasi. Here are 9 Varanasi-centric Qs that we had asked him…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 18, 2024
X post
Not some 'prasad' for farmers: Ramesh on PM-Kisan instalment
The issues that were highlighted by the Congress leader in his post are "unavailability of beds at BHU hospital," "sexual assault of BHU student in 2023," the "failure" of Varanasi port, among others.
In a separate X post, Ramesh took a swipe at the PM over the "recycling" of headlines before the release of the 17th instalment of the PM-KISAN, saying it is not some "prasad" being bestowed on farmers but their legitimate right.
Congress hits out
PM recycling headlines: Congress leader
"As soon as...[PM] assumed office on June 9, headlines screamed that the very first file he signed was to release the 17th instalment of PM-KISAN," Ramesh said.
"Today again the headlines scream that the 'one-third' Pradhan Mantri will release the 17th instalment of PM Kisan. This is how headlines keep getting recycled," he said.
"The non-biological PM is not bestowing some prasad on kisaans. It is their legitimate right and entitlement," the Congress leader added.
Official statement
PM to release ₹20,000 crore under PM-KISAN scheme
During the PM's visit to Varanasi, he will attend the PM-Kisan Samman Sammelan and release ₹20,000 crore as income support for over 9.26 crore farmers.
Notably, after being sworn in, Modi's first action was authorizing the 17th installment of PM Kisan Nidhi.
"In continuation of this commitment, Modi will release the instalment amounting to more than ₹20,000 crore...under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through Direct Benefit Transfer," an official statement said.