Opposition parties and activists creating false narrative: Hardeep Singh Puri

NEW DELHI: Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri slammed opposition parties and claimed they had roped in activists for creating a “false narrative” around the Central Vista project. Sixty former bureaucrats who have raised objections to the project were also the target of the minister’s ire as he dubbed them “padhe likhe murkh” (educated fools).
Citing the Delhi High Court order which dismissed a PIL against ongoing works on the Central Vista Avenue or Rajpath, the minister said the Delhi Disaster Management Authority never put a ban on construction activities and his ministry in its affidavit had submitted how construction works were going on at 12 different sites in Delhi. He said the revamp of Rajpath will be completed by November this year.
While addressing a press conference, Puri referred to the letter written by former civil servants to the PM and him. He said they have mentioned that the new Parliament building is being constructed because of superstitious belief that the old building is unlucky. He said, “yeh padhe likhe murkh hi nahin hain (they are not only educated fools), they are a disgrace.”
The minister said people are quoting their own figures that the Central Vista project would cost Rs 20,000 crore, which has no basis and were also linking the project to the pandemic. He said linking the project to pandemic has no meaning. “The total cost of the projects currently under construction — the Parliament building and the Central Vista Avenue — is around Rs 1,300-odd crore. The government has allocated Rs 35,000 crore for the Covid vaccination programme in the country. If need be, more will be allocated. There is enough money,” he added.
Puri asked how the government could stop work every time there is a problem. The minister said the Central Vista redevelopment project is not a “vanity” project as alleged by the opposition parties, but a “necessary” project.