Stepping up the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Lok Sabha campaign in Haryana ahead of voting on May 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that his party has given a strong government to the country — something the Congress was “unable” to do during its regime as it had “compromised the strength of armed forces”.
Mr. Modi said that the BJP had given a “dhaakad” (strong) government to India, leading adversaries to reconsider their actions. “The same Pakistan that had troubled India for 70 years by wielding bombs now holds a begging bowl in its hands. There was a time when the Congress government was in power, and the brave mothers of Haryana lived in constant fear, wondering when an enemy’s bullet might strike,” he said while addressing gatherings in Ambala and Sonipat.
‘Self-reliant’
He added that after Independence, the Congress had committed several “scams” in the defence sector. “The Bofors, submarine and helicopter scams happened under Congress rule. Congress never wanted the country to become self-reliant in defence material. I started the campaign to make India’s forces self-reliant. Today, the army is using made-in-India weapons,” he said.
Mr. Modi was campaigning for BJP candidates Banto Kataria, Naveen Jindal, Manohar Lal Khattar, Mohan Lal Badoli and Arvind Sharna, who are contesting from Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Sonipat and Rohtak, respectively.
He added that it was his “strong government” which abrogated Article 370, after which Jammu and Kashmir is “moving ahead on the path of development”. “Having a strong government brings such strong results. Could a weak government have changed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir?,” he quipped.
He also accused the Congress of “tricking” people by making false promises to grab power, while the BJP, he asserted, has always given its due to the public.
“Congress had always tricked people by making false promises. For years, Congress made promises about the ‘One-Rank One-Pension’ scheme for Army men but never implemented it. Congress has a history of betraying our Army and soldiers. We came to power and implemented the scheme. Modi delivered it with full responsibility to the soldiers and their families,” he said.
Mr. Modi said that before 2014, the Congress-led government had purchased grains from farmers at minimum support price (MSP) worth only ₹7.5 lakh crore. In contrast, during the 10 years of the BJP government, agricultural produce worth ₹20 lakh crore has been procured from farmers at MSP. Previously, farmers faced delays in receiving payments, but now, the funds are directly deposited into their bank accounts, he said.
Hitting out at Indian National Development, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), Mr. Modi said, “Congress is solely focused on securing votes. In Delhi and Haryana, Congress members are seen brandishing the jhaadu (AAP symbol) while in Punjab, they are calling jhaaduwalas thieves,” he said, referring to the seat-sharing alliance that exists between the Congress and AAP in Delhi, but not in Punjab.
“For Congress, the vote bank is paramount..They oppose granting citizenship to Sikhs and Dalits to appease their voter bank. Congress claims that if they come to power, they will repeal the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. It is the BJP-led government that has respectfully repatriated the sacred forms of the Guru Granth Sahib from the war-torn region of Afghanistan. However, Congress and the ‘INDI Alliance’ seem to oppose such endeavors. They are both against vikas (development) and virasat (heritage). After a wait of 500 years, a magnificent Ram Mandir has been constructed in Ayodhya, bringing immense joy to the entire nation. However, leaders of the Congress persist in making derogatory remarks about the temple,’ said Mr. Modi.
