PM Narendra Modi Attends Patna University Event, Says India No Longer 'Land of Snake Charmers'

Patna: India is no longer the land of snake charmers, but the IT hub of world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the centenary celebrations of Patna University on Saturday.

“Earlier, foreigners used to see our country as the land of snake charmers. But the IT industry has shattered that image. Once a foreigner asked me ‘are you still a land of snake charmers’. I replied ‘No. we used to play with snakes. Now we play with mouse.’ I am proud of this change,” Modi said at the event which was also attended by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

This is Modi’s first full-fledged visit to the state after Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) dumped Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD in July and joined hands with the BJP.

Setting 2022 as the development deadline for Bihar, PM Modi assured the Nitish Kumar government that the Centre would extend “all help” in achieving this goal.

“We are committed to the development of eastern states. I want to see Bihar counted among India’s developed states by 2022 when the country celebrates 75 years of Independence,” Modi said at the centenary celebrations of Patna University.

In this visit, PM Modi is set to announce and inaugurate several developmental projects worth over Rs 3,700 crore for the state. Chief among them is the foundation stone for four Rs 3,031 crore national highway projects and as many sewage treatment plants (STPs) and related works worth Rs 738.04 crore in Mokama.

Modi, however, stopped short of announcing central university status to Patna University, which had been a key demand of the state government. PM instead said he hoped the institution would make it to the 20 universities being developed on a world-class scale across India.

Speaking at the University on Saturday, Modi said Bihar has a unique legacy where ‘Ganga’ and ‘gyaan’ (knowledge) come together. He also lauded the contributions of the University in nation-building over the years.

“Patna University has been serving the nation for 100 years now. Every year, this institution dominates the IAS toppers’ list,” he said.

Speaking at the event earlier, CM Nitish Kumar disclosed that Modi had agreed to be part of the centenary celebrations in January, six months before the big political upheaval in the state. “It is a day of great honour that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is present for Patna University's centenary celebrations," Kumar said.

The event was not without political controversy as RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and actor-turned-BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha — alumni of the prestigious institutions — rejected last-minute invites.