Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on his visit to Uttarakhand to take part in the ‘Uttarakhand Investment Summit – 2025’ held in Rudrapur on Saturday, strongly criticised the Congress party, saying it had mistreated people who were fighting for the Uttarakhand’s statehood.
He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for several development projects worth ₹1,271 crore, along with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, using a digital remote.
The summit brought together business leaders, entrepreneurs, and educationists from across India, highlighting the state’s aim to boost economic growth and attract investments.
Speaking at the event in Rudrapur, Shah accused the Congress party of mistreating the people who fought for Uttarakhand’s statehood. “When the people of Uttarakhand were demanding a separate state, the Congress tortured the agitators of Uttarakhand,” he said.
He credited the BJP and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the formation of Uttarakhand as a separate state, saying, “The work of creating Uttarakhand was done by the leader of the BJP and our then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. However, later, experts on state development began discussing whether the idea of small states would be successful or not. Today I want to tell everyone, Atal ji had created three states - Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. These three states started moving forward by standing on their own feet.”
Shah also spoke about the Centre’s commitment to Uttarakhand’s development, highlighting that five projects were inaugurated and 14 foundation stones were laid here worth Rs 1,271 crores.
Shah said the Centre is focused on making Uttarakhand a key hub for tourism, infrastructure, and green energy. “Our aim is to make Uttarakhand not only a Devbhoomi but also a Vikasbhoomi,” he said, stressing on ease of doing business and policy changes.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami honoured Home Minister Amit Shah during the event. He also joined Shah for the inauguration and foundation stone laying of several government projects in the state.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who also attended the event, praised Shah’s personal and political transformation. “Amit Shah has lost 40 kgs. He is not just a political model, but a model of health and wellness too,” Ramdev said. He also spoke about the need to Indianise the education system, adding that “Our future generations should be born with the values of our rishi-munis. Indian knowledge systems are being revived under your leadership, whether in education, healthcare, or governance.”
Dr. Sunil Rai, President of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), compared Shah to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. “If Sardar Patel was the original ‘Lauh Purush’ (Iron Man), Amit Shah is his second incarnation – a true iron man of modern India,” Rai remarked. Interestingly, he also mentioned research claiming that Amit Shah travels nearly 3.5 lakh kilometres annually - around 500 km daily.” “Surprisingly, the Guinness World Records has not yet recognised this feat,” Rai added.
The summit marked a strong push to position Uttarakhand as an attractive investment destination with support from the central government.
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