Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023: In a recent address in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the party's policy aims to transfer control of government-run companies to industrialists. She stressed the importance of institutions like the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), which were established during the Congress's tenure.
"The Congress brought IIM and big hospitals like AIIMS, and Jawaharlal Nehru's thought behind it was to set up such institutions that would take the country forward," she said.
Gandhi Vadra highlighted that these institutions were envisioned by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, with the goal of advancing the nation. She expressed concern that the BJP's approach is to privatise government-run companies, effectively draining resources from the public.
"But it has become the BJP's policy to hand over the government-run companies to industrialists and take out the money from people's kitty," she alleged.
In her address, she specifically referenced the situation of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and claimed that government-run companies are being handed over to industrialists connected to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She further raised issues such as job privatisation and the discontinuation of government employee pensions, which have led to uncertainty among employees about the safety of their financial futures.
"Modi says nothing has happened in the last 70 years (of Congress rule). The school attended by Modi ji was built by the Congress.m I don't know if Modi ji went to college, but at least the certificate of his degree in entire political science must have been printed by the computer given by the Congress," she added.
She added that although she wasn't sure if Modi went to college, the computer he used to print his entire political science degree certificate was a product of the Congress's initiatives, apparently alluding to opposition against technological advancements at the time.
The Congress leader reiterated various promises made by her party, including ensuring a minimum support price for wheat and paddy, farm loan waivers, subsidized electricity, and reservations for other backward classes. She also mentioned guarantees such as conducting a caste census, filling government job vacancies, fee waivers for recruitment exams, free education up to Class 12, and scholarships.
These remarks come in the lead-up to the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, scheduled for November 17, with vote counting set to take place on December 3.
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