On Thursday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened new Defense Ministry buildings in Delhi, taking a dig at the opposition over the divisive Central Vista project. He accused opponents of the 20,000-crore project, which involves constructing a new Parliament and core government buildings and the renovation of the North and South Blocks, of being more concerned with “personal ambitions” than the state of important government offices and ministries.
“They never mentioned the state of these dwellings, from which our ministries operate. They never mentioned the new Defence Ministry complexes or how important they are,” said the Prime Minister.
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“If they had done so, their falsehoods and agendas would have been revealed,” he asserted, referring to opposition figures like as Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who branded the Central Vista a “criminal waste” of cash in May and asked the government to redirect funds to fighting the epidemic.
Mr Gandhi and Congress have asked the government to stop the project and focus on improving medical facilities instead. Congress also chastised the administration for classifying the project as an “essential service,” allowing work to continue despite the epidemic and lockdown.
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