"People have become accustomed to begging from the government", these are the words of Madhya Pradesh's panchayat and rural development minister, Prahlad Singh Patel. While addressing a public gathering, former Union minister Patel advised people to learn from those who have sacrificed their lives for the country. His remarks come amid a debate over political parties rolling out freebies to win elections.
Patel unveiled the statue of Rani Avanti Bai Lodhi at Suthaliya town in Rajgarh district. Avanti Bai, the queen-ruler and freedom fighter, sacrificed her life while fighting against the British rule on March 20, 1858. She was the queen of Ramgarh (now Dindori) in Madhya Pradesh.
Sparked controversy
His statement has sparked a row and people are criticising the remarks. Madhya Pradesh Congress shared a video of Patel's speech and target the BJP government in the state.
'People have fallen into a habit of taking from society'
After unveiling the statue, Prahla Patel said, "Those who sacrificed their lives for the country. Why did they do so? If we try to imbibe their values in our lives, our lives will also be successful, and perhaps we will be able to give something back to the society." He further added, "People have fallen into a habit of taking from society. Now, they have even become accustomed to begging from the government."
While the distribution of freebies during the election is ongoing, Patel said people hand over a letter of demand to the politicians and said it is not a good habit. "Whenever leaders come in the midst of people, they are handed over a pile of demand letters. Politicians are garlanded on stage, and then they are handed over a demand letter. This is not a good habit," he said.
'Assembling an army of beggars...'
"I can confidently say that if you do this, you will be happier and help build a cultured society," Patel said. He said "assembling an army of beggars" does not strengthen society, rather weakens it. The more we are drawn to free things that is not honouring our brave warriors," the minister said.
(PTI inputs)