Noida Magenta line launch all-BJP affair, AAP calls it insult to Delhi

PM Narendra Modi, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, UP Governor Ram Naik, MOS Tourism and Culture Mahesh Sharma during the inauguration of the Noida-Delhi Metro Rail’s Magenta Line in Amity University campus on Monday. Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal

A Prime Minister, a Chief Minister and an absent Chief Minister marked the beginning of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line — from Botanical Garden in Noida to Kalkaji Mandir in south Delhi, on Monday afternoon. Along with Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, UP Governor Ram Naik, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Managing Director Mangu Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi rode the Metro from Botanical Garden to Okhla Bird Sanctuary, the next station.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not in attendance.

As visuals of the PM played on a large screen at Amity University grounds, hundreds chanted “Modi! Modi! Yogi! Yogi!” Minutes later, he arrived at the venue for a “jan sabha”, where he spoke about good governance, his vision for 2022, and the Noida “CM jinx”.

Apart from talking about the benefits of the new Metro line, he used the opportunity to speak at length about “Good Governance Day” — constituted by the ruling government to mark former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday. He said, “This country is rich, flourishing but the people of this country have been kept away from that. The root cause of this is lack of governance…the “mera kya” attitude has ruined the country, and I am here to change that…”.

The Delhi government, which is an equal partner in the DMRC, claimed that not inviting the Delhi CM was “an insult to the people of Delhi”. While Kejriwal refused to comment on the issue, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, “There’s only one reason behind not inviting Kejriwal, the fear that he may urge the PM to roll back the fare hike.”

Two fare hikes of the Delhi Metro took place, in May and October, and was a point of contention between the Centre and the State. With seven of the nine stations on the inaugurated line falling within Delhi, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “When it comes to funding, we are equal partners. But when it comes to the launch, Narendra Modi and the BJP craft their image. Many will be convinced that Modi and the UP CM brought the Metro to Noida — what better way to show their development”.

Speaking to The Indian Express, “Metro Man” E Sreedharan said, “Whenever the DMRC organised inauguration of a new line, the Delhi CM was always invited because the Delhi government is 50% owner of the DMRC. But when the function is organised by the state governments, we never invited the Delhi government”.

The Delhi BJP cadre, too, wasn’t invited to the launch, and alleging that the uneasiness of the AAP showed the party’s “double standards”, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said, “A few days ago, a U-turn in Burari area was inaugurated by the AAP government. The local BJP MP was not called and black flags were raised at the event. In your area, you did not even call the local MP but you are bothered about the inauguration in UP which is not even your territory.”

PM Modi also congratulated Adityanath for good governance, and for “busting the myth that if a UP CM visits Noida, he will not be elected the next time”.

WITH INPUTS FROM ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL