Modi attacks Congress in Odisha, silent on BJD

SAMBALPUR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday formally launched the BJP’s poll campaign in Odisha by addressing a mammoth public rally at Remed Ground in Sambalpur. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 18 projects worth over Rs 70,000 crores in the state.

The Prime Minister’s 35-minute speech at the rally, christened "Vishal Guarantee Samavesh", marked a no-holds-barred attack against the Congress, which he said encouraged corruption, nepotism and the promotion of family interests.

The Prime Minister, however, did not utter a single word against Odisha's ruling party, the Biju Janata Dal, led by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

“Before 2014, the youths of our country felt hopeless and disappointed. They felt frustrated because of the wrong policies of the then government. However, things have changed now. The youth of the country are now bubbling with confidence and conviction. They are proving their worth across sectors,” said Mr Modi.

Stating that women, farmers, tribals, artisans and people from all other sectors were growing with the support of his government through different schemes and programmes, the Prime Minister said people with entrepreneurial skills are now availing financial support from banks without any collateral guarantee.

“Let me tell you, Modi is now everybody’s guarantor. Jiska koi nahin hai, uska Modi hai. (Modi is the guarantor of those who don’t have anybody to support them).”

The Prime Minister, while listing out his government’s various public welfare measures and initiatives, said, “Modi ki guarantee works for those who do not have anything. In Odisha, there is a huge tribal population. But for years, tribal communities were neglected and used as vote banks. I worked with tribals for years together and today the BJP government is giving prominence to tribal development and the budget has been increased in the last 10 years towards the same.”

The Prime Minister said that making Droupadi Murmu the President of India reflected the NDA government’s commitments to the empowerment of tribal communities.

“The entire world was listening carefully when Murmu Ji addressed the Parliament three days ago. However, it is shocking that the Congress and its allies have insulted her in the past. It was not just an insult to Murmu Ji; rather, it was an insult to the entire tribal community and also the people of Odisha. Today, the BJP government is bringing the achievements of tribals and particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) to the fore in the nation’s development. For the first time, PM Janman Yojana worth thousands of crores has been made and nearly lakhs of people from 1,700 communities will benefit in Odisha with development in the form of employment and basic amenities including houses, water, road and employment,” said Mr Modi.

On Saturday, the Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for projects worth over `70,000 crore in Odisha. According to Mr Modi, the Centre is not leaving any stone unturned for the development of Odisha.

“Two days ago, an interim Budget was presented and it aims to empower the poor, women, youth and farmers. This budget guarantees everybody’s development. It is Modi’s guarantee that each poor person in the country will have a pucca house,” said Mr Modi.

In his address, the Prime Minister said that over 4-crore poor families had been provided with their own pucca houses during the last decade. Of this, Odisha got around 25-lakh houses. The Centre is working for the beneficiaries who have been left out. The Union government has announced in the interim Budget to construct 2 crore more houses, he said.

“My aim is to ensure that no one stays in temporary shelters. PM Kisan Saman Nidhi farmers have got direct benefits. Around 40-lakh farmers from Odisha have also benefited from the scheme. The BJP government has sent `30,000 to each farmer’s account and ensured a hike in MSP. The Centre is procuring more paddy from the farmers. Before 2014, paddy procurement worth `36,000 crores was done by those in power. In 10 years of our government, Odisha paddy farmers have received `1.10-lakh crores towards MSP.

The PM claimed that in the past 10 years, electricity has been provided in areas that had no electricity connectivity. Electricity has now reached 25-lakh families in Odisha. The BJP also brought the LED revolution and now the party’s efforts are on to ensure that the electricity bill of the poor becomes zero. Hence, a rooftop solar power scheme has been announced for 1 crore families, said the Prime Minister.

Referring to the Sun Temple at Konark, Mr Modi said, "In the land of the Konark Sun temple, the sun will bring new hopes to the people who live here. There will be new employment opportunities under the scheme as well."

“Today, women are getting benefits from 6,500 Arogya Ayush Mandirs in Odisha. The BJP government has provided drinking water facilities through pipelines to over 60-lakh families in Odisha. Around 55-lakh women have been provided free gas connections under the Ujjawala scheme. There was a time before 2014 when the youth of the country were depressed. But now things have changed, as there is a strong BJP government behind them,” said the Prime Minister.

The BJP is providing free rations. So 3.5-crore people in Odisha do not have to think about food for the next five years. A lot of people from Odisha are migrating and working in large numbers in Gujarat, contributing to the state’s development, he said, adding, “We have understood the problems of the migrant workers. Earlier, they were denied ration cards because they were migrant workers. We have now introduced the One Nation, One Ration Card policy. Migrant workers from Odisha will also benefit from this scheme."