'Naraz fufa ji' now has work, PM snipes after unveiling Rs 35,000-crore projects

At a Vadodara event, PM Modi unveiled and launched Rs 35,000-crore projects and mocked critics as 'naraz fufa ji'. He used the dedicated freight corridor to contrast his government's record with the UPA and to underline self-reliance in manufacturing.Prime Minister Narendra Modi coined the term “naraz fufa ji” to attack his detractors. (X/@BJP4India)Stepping up his attack on the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday doubled down on his epithet for those who question his government’s development record: Naraz Fufa ji, or angry uncle.PM Modi made the remarks at the NaMo for Viksit Bharat event in Gujarat’s Vadodara, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 35,000 crore. The projects include a 2,800-kilometre dedicated freight corridor, which he called a “historic achievement for the 21st century”.Using the corridor to contrast the "work culture" of the BJP and Congress governments, PM Modi said the project was conceived under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee but made little progress during the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh."The freight corridor project was conceived in 2004 but nothing moved till BJP came to power in 2014," he said. The Prime Minister then took a dig at naysayers who would question the utility of the project. "One naraz fufa ji will be crying out, ‘What will the truck drivers do?’ Uncle Ji now has work," he jibed.He said the freight corridor is taking rail connectivity to places that had remained without it even after independence. The project, he added, was part of a broader push to build an Indian supply chain to strengthen self-reliance. Taking another swipe at the erstwhile UPA regime, PM Modi said, "After 2014, India built 50,000 modern railway coaches; previous regime could not build even 50,000 toilets in 10 years."The Prime Minister said India was now entering a new manufacturing era, "from chips to ship", with both components and finished products being made domestically.- EndsPublished By: Devika BhattacharyaPublished On: Sep 8, 2026 13:43 IST