Jajpur: In a blistering attack on the Congress in the BJD-ruled Odisha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said before 2014, the grand old party and its allies in the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) at the Centre were focussed solely on filling their coffers.
Addressing a massive public rally in the eastern state on Tuesday, PM Modi said his ‘guarantee’ begins where most give up hope.
Training his guns at the Congress and its partners in the INDIA bloc in Odisha’s Jajpur on Tuesday, PM Modi questioned if the grand old party, which he claimed indulged in fertiliser scams, can provide urea to farmers at cheap rates.
Grateful to the people of Odisha for their affection. Addressing a public meeting in Jajpur. Do watch! https://t.co/DljXYeZdib
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 5, 2024
“Before 2014, Congress and its allies were solely focused on stuffing their coffers with currency notes. How can the Congress, which looted coal, even think of providing food grains to the poor for free? How can a party accused of fertiliser scams provide urea to farmers at subsidised rates? Can a party, which scammed the people in the name of employment, ever give jobs to the country’s youth? The Congress, which ruled the country for the most time since independence, indulged in systemic corruption that gave rise to mistrust among the poor, youth and tribals,” he said.
In a heartwarming gesture, PM Modi turned his attention to a person in the crowd, who held up a framed photograph that he brought as a gift for him, saying, “Please set your hands down and write your address at the back of the frame. I will write you a letter. Please put your hands down or they will start hurting.”
Taking a swipe at previous Congress governments at the Centre, he added, “Earlier, when the poor went to Congress leaders asking for help, they would say ‘bring some guarantee’. This was the custom at the time. If you wanted to open a bank account, needed a job loan or even applied for a job, they (Congress) would ask for guarantees in return.”
“However, in 2014, a poor man’s son came to lead the government at the Centre. That poor man’s son resolved to become the biggest guarantee for the poor. Modi came to hold himself as a guarantee for those who had nothing to offer as a guarantee. We opened Jan-Dhan accounts minus any guarantees or collaterals. The poor, Dalits, and tribals had nothing to commit as guarantees. For them, we launched the Mudra scheme to provide loans without a guarantee. It is because of such schemes that the confidence of the poor in the government has gone up. They have come to this realisation that Modi is with them,” PM Modi said.
2014 के बाद एक गरीब का बेटा केंद्र सरकार में आ गया।
उसने कहा – गरीब की सबसे बड़ी गारंटी मैं बनूंगा।
जिस गरीब के पास गारंटी देने के लिए कुछ नहीं था, उसकी गारंटी मोदी ने ले ली।
– पीएम श्री @narendramodi
पूरा वीडियो देखें: https://t.co/WjYA24uNZk pic.twitter.com/fQLQh0tu8B
— BJP (@BJP4India) March 5, 2024
He said despite Odisha being home to some of the country’s most backward people and communities, previous governments (at the Centre) did not stand for them.
“For the first time, Modi started a Rs 24,000-crore PM Jan-Man scheme for the tribals, who were ignored and left to fend for themselves in previous years. Our fisherman friends did not get anything for their welfare and well-being. We made a separate ministry and presented a separate budget for them. PM-Matsya Sampada Yojana was launched to safeguard their interests. Pucca houses, tap water, and LPG connections were once the stuff of dreams for the poor. But today, they are a reality,” PM Modi said.
“It is when such objectives are fulfilled that people believe in their heart of hearts that Modi’s guarantee begins where all hopes end,” he added.
Saying the Centre has been investing heavily in Odisha over the last few years, PM Modi added, “Our endeavour is to make Odisha the gateway to Viksit Bharat (a developed India). In a way, Odisha is the engine that is driving the journey to a self-reliant India.”
