Air Travel Was Luxury Before 2014: PM Modi Takes Swipe At Cong

In a scathing remark against the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that air travel was a luxury before 2014 but now even middle-class families look at it as an affordable option. 

While inaugurating greenfield International Airport in Mopa, Goa, he said that earlier, places that were in dire need of infrastructural development remained neglected. 

He added, "In the last 8 years, 72 new airports came compared to 70 airports in the earlier 70 years.”

Remarking on the approach towards infrastructural development by the governments in the past, the Prime Minister said that the vote bank had been the first priority instead of the needs and requirements of the citizens. 

He underlined that thousands of crores were spent on projects that were not even required. As a result, the places that were in dire need of infrastructural development remained neglected. 

“Goa International Airport is a clear example of this," he added. PM Modi said that today India has become the world’s third-largest aviation market. 

“India of the 21st century is New India which is making a mark on the global platform, and as a result, the perspective of the world is changing rapidly," he stated. 

Meanwhile, developed at a cost of around Rs 2,870 crore, the airport has been built on the theme of sustainable infrastructure and comprises a solar power plant and green buildings.