Jabalpur/Sidhi (MP)/Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack on Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and the Congress party over the recovery of crores of rupees in income tax raids, saying that within six months of coming to power they gave birth to the massive “Tughlaq Road scam”.
“This is only the trailer, they have five years still with them,” Modi said speaking at an election rally in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Jabalpur constituency, Rakesh Singh.
“The Congress party had announced waiver of farm loans and unemployment allowance to jobless youth. But nothing was done. However, during this period, they ensured three things — collapsing the law and order machinery, turning transfer and posting into a full-fledged business, and siphoning off the funds meant for providing nutrition to poor tribal children and pregnant women, which were recovered recently.”
Earlier, speaking at a public meeting in Sidhi parliamentary constituency of the state, the Prime Minister had alleged that the Chief Minister Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh gobbles up funds meant for tribal women and children.
“The Congress government launches welfare schemes for the poor and farmers and then misappropriates funds for those programmes. Right from Delhi to Bhopal, corruption is the norm for the Congress party. But your ‘chowkidar’ is alert and he would spare none, be it top leaders or their confidants,” he said.
“The government of ‘chowkidar’ at the Centre sends funds to the state government to provide nutrition to the poor tribal children and pregnant women, so that they give birth to healthy babies. But despite the presence of an alert ‘chowkidar’, these audacious Congress politicians created ‘Tughlaq Road scam’.”
The Prime Minister said that Tughlaq Road in Delhi is the address of top Congress leaders, and it is there that the money transported in gunny bags was seized.
“The money for women and children was stolen and transported to Delhi, which the top Congress leaders used in electioneering,” Modi alleged.
Talking about the loan waiver scheme in Madhya Pradesh, he said: “They (Congress) made false promise of waiving farm loans…the loans haven’t been waived yet, but they are lying and telling the whole nation that they waived loans… They are habitual liars.”
Accusing the state government of going back on its poll promise, Modi said: Today, the Madhya Pradesh government is presenting a trailer of Congress culture. One feels shaken to see the sins committed by them in the last six months in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. These very people destroyed the country over the last 70 years.”
The first round of polls in the state will take place during the fourth phase of the general elections on April 29, when polling will be held in six parliamentary constituencies.
Sharpening the attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that the grand old party was invisible in the country now.
Later in the evening addressing a massive rally at the Bandra-Kurla Complex here, Modi said that since 1947, the Congress had fallen to its lowest tally in 2014. “The Congress is fighting the least number of seats in 2019. It’s invisible anywhere now,” the Prime Minister said.
Taking a dig at Congress, the Prime Minister said the grand old party was another name for confusion.
Massive security and traffic arrangements were made for the rally which was attended by a large number people clad in saffron scarfs and headgear, who warmly applauded the Prime Minister during his speech.
Those present on the occasion included Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Union Ministers Ramdas Athawale, Suresh Prabhu and Vijay Goel, and all the candidates of the BJP-Shiv Sena combine contesting the 6 Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai.
Business tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani was also spotted at the Prime Minister’s rally. “I am here to listen to Prime Minister Modi and support the nation,” the 24-year-old told a Marathi news channel.
“After three phases of polling, it’s clear that we (the BJP) are on our way to form the next government. The people in Mumbai are very smart and can recognise which way the wind is blowing. Is it wise to vote for a party that may barely cross 50 seats? Vote wisely, as your votes will count,” Modi said.
Of the total 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, 17 seats, including 6 in Mumbai, go to the polls in the last phase of polling in the state to be held on April 29.
Modi also thanked the city’s fishermen, taxi drivers and civic officials for keeping Mumbai running under all circumstances.
“I thank the middle class whose support helped me achieve a lot for the country. On my single appeal, crores of middle class people gave up their gas subsidies, which benefited the poor women who used to cook on wooden fires. Now they have gas connections because of the middle class. The same goes for railway subsidies. In one year, 40 lakh senior citizens have given up their rail travel subsidies to benefit others,” Modi said.
“The Congress is insulting you by calling the middle class selfish and greedy. Their manifesto doesn’t mention the middle class even once. Given a chance, they will burden you with more taxes. They are synonymous with corruption and inflation,” the Prime Minister said.
Claiming that corruption has disappeared from the country in the last five years, Modi said that those indulging in corrupt practices were either in jail or were out on bail.
“In the last 5 years, we have increased the number of taxpayers, not tax. Our policies are 180 degrees different from those of the Congress, which the country has witnessed in the last five years,” the Prime Minister said.