Congress can’t think beyond dynasty, graft: Modi

Raipur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack against the Congress, saying that the grand old party cannot think beyond dynasty, corruption and appeasement (of minorities) "even today".

Inaugurating and laying the foundation stones for multiple development projects worth Rs 34,427 crores for Chhattisgarh through video conferencing under the "Viksit Bharat, Viksit Chhattisgarh" event held in Raipur, Mr Modi said that the Congress had forgotten to build an India of the future.

Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai and two of his Cabinet colleagues Ram Vichar Netam and Brij Mohan Agrawal were present on the occasion.

“The Congress never worked on the agenda of taking the country forward,” Mr Mod said.

“Till today, the Congress cannot think beyond dynasty, corruption and appeasement (of minorities). Those who work to promote their own families cannot look into the interests of others’ families and those who are concerned about the development of their own children cannot think of building the future of others’ children," he said.

The Prime Minister said: "For Modi, you are the family. That’s why I am talking about the development of the country and of Chhattisgarh. This servant of people (referring to himself) has given a guarantee of hard work and sincerity to 140-crore people to work for the development of the country."

Mr Modi said that one former Prime Minister said that "out of every rupee sent by his government, only 15 paise reached the villages. The remaining 85 paise were usurped by the middlemen". He was referring to the famous statement by former PM Rajiv Gandhi.

Had such a situation prevailed in the country now, `29-lakh crores of the `34-lakh crores transferred by the Centre to the bank accounts of beneficiaries of various welfare schemes in the last 10 years would have been syphoned off, he said.

Mr Modi said that he had given a guarantee to the countrymen not to spare any effort for the uplift of the poor and to make the corrupt pay back the money looted by them.

He said that his government has ensured free rations, cheap medical treatment, houses and cooking gas for the poor through various welfare schemes.

The poor had never imagined that such facilities will be made available to them, he added.

The Prime Minister said that a developed India, as dreamt of by our ancestors, is emerging today.

The Prime Minister mentioned the digital India initiative by giving examples of real-time payments, banking systems, and notifications for payments received and underscoring that it has become a reality today.

“When corruption comes to an end, the process of development begins, generating employment and opening up many opportunities," he remarked.

Mr Modi lauded the Vishnu Deo Sai government for fulfilling a number of "Modi guarantees" given for Chhattisgarh before the November Assembly polls, saying that this could happen due to the "double-engine governments" (BJP governments at the state and the Centre).

At the Viksit Bharat, Viksit Chhattisgarh event, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stones for several development projects. He dedicated the Lara Super Thermal Power Project, stage one (2X 800 MW) of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, to the nation and laid the foundation stone for stage two of the project.

The PM inaugurated the first three key first-mile connectivity (FMC) projects of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), built at a cost of more than `600 crores in the Raigarh area.

Mr Modi also inaugurated a solar power project in Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, built at a cost of around `900 crores. He also inaugurated various rail and road projects.