PM made 'barrage of promises' for development of Aurangabad, Bhabua but none were met: Cong

New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) The Congress on Friday accused the NDA government in Bihar of handing out "empty rhetoric" to the people of Aurangabad and Bhabua and said that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a "barrage of promises" for the development of this region nothing happened.

With Modi visiting Bhabua and Aurangabad Friday, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said true to form, "he will once again try to mislead voters with empty promises" but it's essential to remind him of his old promises and speeches.

In the October 2015 assembly election rallies, the prime minister had said in Bhabua that the NDA will bring about industrial development and establish small industries for employment, as well as provide modern computer education in Bihar's schools, he pointed out.

"Let's take a look at the ground reality of these promises by the Prime Minister. According to the Bihar Economic Survey 2024-25: In 2013-14, the number of operational large factories in Bihar was 3,132, which dropped to 2,782 in 2022-23. In other words, at least 350 large industries closed down over the past 9 years. Bihar's share in the country's total operational industrial units is just 1.34%," Ramesh said in his post in Hindi on X.

"In addition, Union MSME Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi from Bihar in the NDA government stated in the Lok Sabha that: 49,342 MSME units closed across the country, resulting in the loss of 317,641 jobs. Of these, 2,414 units closed in Bihar, though the actual number could be higher," the Congress leader claimed.

It's also necessary to inform Prime Minister Modi about the reality of the education system, which his own government has "wrecked" over the past 20 years, Ramesh said.

"According to the School Education Report UDISE+ 2023-24, Bihar's education system is in the ICU. Bihar's performance on Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) is the worst in the entire country: Higher Secondary (Classes 11-12): Bihar's GER: 30%, National Average: 56.2%; Secondary (Classes 9-10): Bihar: 45.6%, National Average: 77.4%; Upper Primary (Classes 6-8): Bihar: 68.4%, National Average: 89.9%," he said.

In addition, out of 78,120 government schools, 16,529 schools still lack electricity and computers are available in only 5,057 schools, that is, just 6.5 per cent, Ramesh said.

He said 2,637 schools have only one teacher, even though 2.91 lakh students are enrolled in them.

The Congress leader said 117 schools have not a single student, but 544 teachers are posted there.

Ramesh also cited that the dropout rate in Bihar is the highest in the country -- primary (1-5): 8.9 per cent, upper Primary (6-8): 25.9 per cent and secondary (9-10): 25.63 per cent.

"These figures make the true state of education clear. The question is, why has such tampering been done with Bihar's future? Why has the NDA government brought the education system to such a dire state," he asked.

Pointing to the "truth behind the promises" made in Aurangabad, Ramesh said in 2014, farmers in Aurangabad had written a letter to the prime minister reminding him to complete the Kutku/Mandal Dam but even 11 years later today, the situation remains unchanged.

Highlighting project details, Ramesh said the North Koel Reservoir Project, which includes the Mandal (Kutku) Dam and the Mohammadganj Barrage, was approved for a total of Rs 2,391.36 crore.

In 2017, an additional Rs 1,622.27 crore was approved for the remaining works, he said.

"This project was to benefit a total of 1,11,521 hectares of land with irrigation, including approximately 91,917 hectares in Bihar's Aurangabad and Gaya districts, and 19,604 hectares in Jharkhand," Ramesh said.

"But even after 11 years, the work has not progressed, and farmers have not received even a single drop of additional irrigation benefit to this day. The question is, why is the project stalled, and when will the promise made to the farmers be fulfilled?" the Congress leader said.

Similarly, a promise was made for the construction of NH-139 -- Aurangabad-Daoudnagar Bypass -- but work has not started even today, he pointed out.

"The Prime Minister had made a barrage of promises for the development of this region - but neither industries arrived, nor did education improve, nor did the irrigation situation change, nor did the road work happen," he said.

No more of the NDA government's "false promises and empty rhetoric", Ramesh asserted.

The Bihar polls are being held in two phases on November 6 and 11, and results will be announced on November 14.

The opposition INDIA bloc, which has the RJD, the Congress and the Left parties as the main constituents, has declared RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav its chief ministerial candidate. PTI ASK ZMN