"He should answer before seeking a single vote": Congress questions PM Modi over promises made to Jharkhand people

New Delhi: Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the promises he has made to the people of Jharkhand and said he should fulfil them before seeking a single vote.
PM Modi is in poll-bound Jharkhand where he addressed one rally in Garhwa and will address a second rally in Chaibasa.
In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh posed a set of three questions to the PM, reminding him of his promise of setting up the Korba-Lohardaga and Chatra-Gaya railway lines, besides setting of engineering and medical colleges in Jharkhand.
"The non-biological PM is in Jharkhand today. Three questions he should answer before seeking a single vote - Where is the Korba-Lohardaga and Chatra-Gaya railway lines," Ramesh asked in a post on X.
He said the people of Lohardaga and Chatra have been demanding better rail connectivity for years as it would improve locals' access to education and employment opportunities.
"Sadly, the Railway Ministry has ignored their demands and made very poor progress on this front. In October 2022, the Railway Ministry sanctioned the Chatra-Gaya rail project but two years later, no progress has been made. There is no word on the Korba-Lohardaga line. How much longer must the people wait for the these crucial rail links? Is the non-biological PM doing anything to ensure the completion of these essential projects," the Congress leader asked.
Asking where are the engineering colleges that PM Modi had promised in 2014, Ramesh recalled that during his campaign for Jharkhand's 2014 assembly elections, PM Modi has promised several industrial and educational projects in the state, including an IT institute and engineering colleges
"However, only two institutions were ever established, NIELET Ranchi and CIPET Khunti. These too, after 9 and 7 years respectively, do not have a permanent campus. On the other hand, the UPA government set up good quality institutes like IIM Ranchi and a central university. Why did the non-biological Prime Minister fail to fulfill the promise of educational institutes that he made ten years ago?" he asked
Jairam Ramesh also asked what had happened to the Medical College in Koderma.
"The non-biological PM has repeatedly promised to build a Medical College in Koderma but the project is yet to materialise. The college was supposed to be built on 70 acres of land and offer 100 MBBS seats. Mr Modi laid its foundation stone six years ago, in 2018, and then promised to complete the project again in 2019. Does the PM ever intend to keep his promise or is this just another 'Modi ki Guarantee; from the Bharatiya Jumla Party," Ramesh said.
The Jharkhand Assembly elections is set to be held in two phases on November 13 and 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23. In the previous assembly election, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha won 30 seats, the BJP won 25 and Congress won 16 seats.