Jawaharlal Nehru, 1956, at the first convocation of IIT Kharagpur: Here in the place of that Hijli Detention Camp stands the fine monument of India, representing India’s urges, India’s future in the making. This picture seems to me symbolical of the changes that are coming to India.
Narendra Modi, 2021, at the 54th convocation of IIT Kanpur: We should have stood on our feet and done a lot within 25 years of our Independence. It is quite late now. The country has wasted a lot of time. Two generations have come and gone since then. We shouldn’t waste anymore time now.
The difference was stark, the irony starker.
Modi used an IIT stage on Tuesday to deliver what sounded like a politically loaded speech in election-bound Uttar Pradesh, promoting his claim that nothing had been achieved in the country before he appeared on the national firmament and inveighing against the looming shadow of Nehru.
The irony, however, was not lost on many that the gleaming edifice of learning where Modi stood to deliver his sermon had been sired when Nehru was Prime Minister. The oldest IITs — Kharagpur, Kanpur, Mumbai and Delhi — came up when Nehru was at the helm of the country.
Modi also held forth on his pet theme of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) while addressing the new engineering graduates, post-graduates and doctorate degree holders.
“Those who know the IITs, its talent pool and its professors know that they can do everything (for growth),” Modi said.
Modi added: “Friends, you may spy restlessness in my words…. I want you also to be restless for Atmanirbhar Bharat. Atmanirbhar Bharat is total freedom, where we are not dependent on anybody.”
Modi underscored how his government was trying to make life easier for engineers through schemes such as Startup India and Stand Up India.
“You know very well how the country is working to make your work easy by laying the foundation of an Atmanirbhar Bharat…. We have removed all policy blockage,” he added.
Later, Modi inaugurated a 9km Metro rail stretch between IIT Kanpur and Moti Jheel Market and travelled in a train.
Samajwadi Party president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the Kanpur Metro was his project.
Speaking at Unnao, 40km from Kanpur, Akhilesh said: “The people of Kanpur know who started this project along with the Lucknow Metro. I had completed the project in Lucknow within two years. The BJP is more interested in hijacking and inaugurating others’ work.”
After coming to power in 2017, the Yogi Adityanath government had inaugurated the Lucknow Metro and the Lucknow-Agra Expressway, projects conceived during Akhilesh’s stint.
