Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that people who measure everything with votes are unable to devise plans keeping the country in mind. The Prime Minister was speaking at an event to inaugurate and lay the foundation of infrastructure projects worth over Rs 5,000 crore in Rajasthan’s Nathdwara.

Sharing the stage with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, PM Modi took several veiled digs at Congress and claimed that the victims of a negative mindset do not wish to see anything good happening in the country.

“Some people have become victims of such negative mindset that they don’t want to see anything good happening in the country,” PM Modi said.

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The Prime Minister said that the heavy investments made by the Centre on infrastructure directly impact the development and employment opportunities in the entire region. PM Modi further said that developments such as the construction of new roads and railway lines, pucca houses and toilets in villages, or the laying of optical fibre in rural areas and pipes are laid down to make drinking water available to every household under Jal Jeevan Mission, benefit small businesses and the labu=ourers in the area.

“These central government schemes have given new momentum to economic development. However, some people in our country have fallen victim to such a deformed mindset.. they are filled with such pessimism that they do not want to see anything good happening in the country. They only like to create controversies. You must have heard questions about whether data should come before atta (flour), or satellites before roads. But history stands witness that permanent and speedy development can only come when the development of basic facilities is coupled with developing modern infrastructure,” he added.

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“People who measure every step in votes are unable to plan with the development of the country in mind,” the PM said, adding that the current government has had to make investments worth lakhs of crores only because earlier governments refused to focus sufficiently on even basic facilities like water, healthcare, roads etc.

“Had the electrification of railway lines been completed earlier, there would have been no need to spend thousands of crores to do it. Had water been made available from taps in every household, the government today need not have spent Rs 3.5 lakh crore on Jal Jeevan Mission. Victims of pessimism lack foresight and are unable to look beyond political perspective,” he added.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister arrived in Rajasthan where he was received by Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot among other dignitaries. The Prime Minister also visited the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara and was greeted by supporters along the way. He is scheduled to address another public meeting in Dausa during the day.

Among the projects, PM Modi laid the foundation stones for road construction projects for upgradation to two-lane in Rajsamand and Udaipur and for the redevelopment of the Udaipur railway station. He also inaugurated three national highway projects, including 114-km long six-lane Udaipur to Shamlaji section of NH-48, 110-km long widening and strengthening to 4 lane with paved shoulder of Bar-Bilara-Jodhpur Section of NH-25, and 47 km long two lane with paved shoulder section of NH 58E, reported PTI.