Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of the Dr BR Ambedkar memorial at Indu Mills compound here. He invoked Jayprakash Narayan’s, memory as it was his birth anniversary today. BJP ally Shiv Sena was conspicuous by the absence of leaders at the event. Uddhav Thackeray gave the ceremony a miss.
At the event, he said that the a vibrant port sector is very important for a nation blessed with long coastlines. He had words of praise for Minister of Transport Nitin Gadkari, “In 15 months Nitin Gadkari has done what was not done in 10 years. He has given new strength and speed to port sector. He also lauded Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu.
He said coastal sector and space are going to be important in this century. “Be it space and sea, we need to be moving at a quicker pace,” he said.
He spoke about the ambitious Sagar Mala project. “We’re encouraging ”Sagar Mala project” to connect our port services, Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s idea which we are taking forward.”
He also spoke about Babasaheb Ambedkar, saying he went through a lot of hardships but did not have an ill-feeling. Calling him a ‘Maha-purush’, he said, ” He is an inspiration not just for one community but for the world. World knows about Martin Luther King Jr, now it needs to know about Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.”
He said that people must know about about the country’s constitution and must be educated about how it was created. “Constitution Day will be celebrated on November 26. Education about India’s Constitution will be taught in schools on November 26,” he announced.
PM Modi also spoke about making Indu mills and Maharashtra environment friendly. “Can have solar panels on farm boundaries or else boundary space gets wasted All Maharashtra villages should plant a tree at Indu Mill for a dense forest. Saplings from each nation should be planted,” he said.
PM Modi had earlier participated in the foundation laying ceremony for the Metro corridor at the Bandra Kurla Complex after which he will address a public meeting. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi also laid the foundation stone of the fourth container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) here.