Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘Kosi Rail Mahasetu’ on Friday along with a slew of other rail projects for Bihar. During the function, Modi hit out at the previous UPA government for the ‘slow’ progress in the development of railways in the state during its rule.

The inauguration ceremony was held virtually in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Modi dedicated the ‘Kosi Rail Mahasetu’ to the nation. He also inaugurated various projects related to electrification and new rail lines via video conference.

Modi said that the Kosi bridge was a ‘dream project’ of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the then Railway minister Nitish Kumar. He added that after the Vajapyee government, speed on this project slowed.

“In 2003, Atal ji was the prime minister and Nitish ji railway minister when the new Kosi rail line was planned with an aim to solve the problems being faced by people of Mithila and Kosi,” Modi said.

With this thinking, in 2003 the groundbreaking ceremony was done by Vajpayee but the next year, his government went and after that the speed of work on the Kosi rail line project slowed considerably, the prime minister said.

“If the people of Mithilanchal and the people of Bihar had been cared for then work would have been done at a fast pace on the Kosi rail line project,” he said.

“In this period, who was in charge of Railways, whose government it was, I do not want to go into that but the truth is that if the speed of work would have been the same (under our government) as was earlier then the project would have taken ages to be completed,” Modi said, in an apparent attack at the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

In the last six years, efforts are being made to shape the Indian Railways as per the aspirations of New India and expectations of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, he said.

Modi also said 325 km rail line was commissioned in Bihar in five years before 2014, while 700 km has been commissioned in five years since 2014.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Modi were also present during the virtual event.