Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off five Vande Bharat trains on Tuesday even as his trip to Madhya Pradesh was curtailed due to warning of heavy rainfall. PM Modi's road show in Bhopal and his visit to Shahdol district in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday has been put off, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
PM Modi was slated to participate in a 350-meter road show in Bhopal before reaching the programme venue. Now, the Prime Minister will reach Rani Kamalapati Railway Station directly to flag off five Vande Bharat Express trains connecting important cities in different parts of the country.
Two of the Vande Bharat trains will be for Madhya Pradesh, where Assembly polls are due by the year-end. The other three are in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar.
This will for the first time that so many Vande Bharat trains will be launched in a day.
"...Five Vande Bharat trains would be flagged off at a programme in Rani Kamalapati railway station. These trains will improve connectivity in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Bihar and Jharkhand," PM Modi said in a tweet.
As per the PMO, the five trains that will be launched are Rani Kamalapati-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express, Khajuraho-Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat Express, Madgaon (Goa)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express, Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express and Hatia-Patna Vande Bharat Express.
PM Modi will also interact with BJP booth workers during his virtual address from Bhopal.
"I will get an opportunity to interact with lakhs of dedicated workers under 'Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot' programme. This opportunity will further empower their resolve for a developed India," Modi said in another tweet in Hindi.
In Shahdol, PM Modi was supposed to take part in the Virangana Rani Durgavati Balidan Diwas and Rani Durgavati Gourav Yatra culmination event.
Rani Durgavati was the ruling queen of Gondwana in the mid-16th century. Rani Durgavati sacrificed her life fighting against Mughal Emperor Akbar's forces and is remembered for her valour.
He was also slated to take part in a programme in Shahdol for the eradication of sickle cell anaemia and kickstart the distribution of about 3.57 crore Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) cards in Madhya Pradesh.
Following the event, PM Modi will supposed to visit Pakaria village of Shahdol district and interact with leaders of the tribal community, self-help groups, PESA (Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act) committees and captains of village football clubs.
A seperate date will be worked out for these events.
The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert, warning heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.