26 september 2024 : Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned visit to Pune, Maharashtra was canceled due to heavy rainfall, NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule took a jab at the PM, noting that he had already inaugurated the metro project in the city five times. She remarked that it would have marked the sixth occasion for Modi to inaugurate the same project.
“The metro inauguration for which PM Modi was supposed to visit Pune has already been done five times; it would have been the sixth time for the same work,” she stated.
Sule criticized the BJP-Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government for trying to schedule time with a busy Prime Minister for the same task. “It’s shocking that the Maharashtra government sought time from such a busy person as the PM for the same event,” she added.
Modi was set to flag off the metro train line from District Court to Swargate in Pune and unveil development projects worth ₹22,600 crore. A new date for his visit will be announced later.
Following heavy rains on Wednesday evening, the SP College ground, the site for Modi’s event, became waterlogged. Pune divisional commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar confirmed, “The PM’s visit to Pune has been canceled, and the program is officially postponed.”
Maharashtra Metro spokesperson Hemant Sonawane explained that the cancellation was due to the orange alert for heavy rains issued by the IMD. “If it rains, attendees might face difficulties, so the program has been canceled for their safety,” he said.
Maharashtra, one of the largest states in the country, is expected to hold elections later this year.
