PM Modi hits back at Central Vista critics, says 'their falsity would be exposed"

While inaugurating the newly built office complexes for the defence ministry under the Central Vista Project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit back at the critics of the development project seeking refurbishment of the Parliament and Central government offices in New Delhi.

Slamming the critics of the Rs.20,000 crore revamp project, PM said, those who were against the project never thought about the 7,000 employees of the crucial Defence Ministry and how are they working in the decades-old hutments.

PM Modi slams Central Vista Critics

During his inauguration speech, he said, “the critics never mentioned about the new offices being built for our armed forces & they conveniently kept silent, as it would have exposed their spreading of lies and misinformation about the project.”

The Prime Minister's jibe was a response to the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders who had condemned the central government over the announcement of the renovation project amid the ongoing pandemic. Rahul Gandhi had earlier called the Central Vista Project the “criminal wastage” of the resources and had asked the government to redirect the money to improve the health infrastructure of the country.

He termed the new construction as a step forward towards building the modern defence enclave in the capital. He asserted that the new infrastructure will enable defence employees to work effectively. "But the country is seeing today what we are doing under Central Vista. These modern offices constructed at KG Marg and Africa Avenue will help in getting the work related to defence done effectively," he noted.

PM Modi said that the existing building was built during British rule and hadn’t been changed since. He said that the most important Defence Ministry that safeguards the nation could not work in an old tattered building. The PM also claimed that the government’s commitment to the 'New India' vision is showcased in the project. 

Prime Minister also re-iterated, his government's agenda to improve the ease of living and ease of doing business in the nation, he said that the Central Vista Project is based on these lines only.

"Today, when we are focusing on ease of living and ease of doing business, modern infrastructure plays an equally important role in this. This is the spirit at the core of the work being done today related to Central Vista," the prime minister said.

New Defence Ministry Office Complexes Under Central Vista project

PM Modi had inaugurated the new office buildings located at Kasturba Gandhi Marg and Africa Avenue at 11 am. The PM vested the newly built defence office complex at Africa Avenue along with the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The two buildings, which were built with funds provided by the Defense Ministry, total 9.60 lakh square feet of office space. These were built by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Fourteen offices will be relocated to the KG Marg complex, which has a total built-up area of 4.52 lakh square feet, while thirteen offices will be relocated to the Africa Avenue building, which has a total built-up area of 5.08 lakh square feet.

With PTI Inputs

Image: ANI/PTI/Twitter