Shunning his scheduled arrival on a chopper, Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled by the Delhi Metro on Sunday to inaugurate the extension of the Badarpur Line that will connect the satellite city of Faridabad to the national capital. After the inaugurutaion, Modi spoke on the hot topic of OROP (one rank, one pension) for armed forces personnel, saying that he had fulfilled his promise. He said that the cost of implementing this promise would be around Rs 8,000- 10,000 crore, which was significantly higher than some earlier estimates.

Taking a dig at the Opposition, Modi regretted that it had become a “fashion to politicise every decision taken by the Union government for the progress of the country," adding that “no one should mislead the jawans and the people of the nation”. “The country would progress not through rajneeti (politics), but through rashtraneeti (nationalist policies),” he added.

Modi said that a significant proportion of army jawans were from Haryana, and the OROP announcement would contribute significantly to Haryana's economy.

Modi was accompanied by Union Ministers Birender Singh, Rao Inderjeet Singh (both from Haryana), Venkaiah Naidu and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chief Mangu Singh in his Metro ride from Janpath Station to Faridabad’s Bata Chowk Station.

After the inauguration, the Prime Minister travelled back to Delhi by the Metro and also interacted with people who were also travelling on board the train, an official release said.

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