Lok Sabha elections 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today (April 12) accused the Congress party of standing with anti-national forces while claiming that the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc was trying to weaken the country.
PM Modi added, "In the Congress manifesto, there is the stamp of Muslim League, which was the culprit of partition. Now another party, which is a part of the INDI alliance, in its manifesto has made a dangerous declaration against the country that they will destroy India's nuclear weapons. When two of our neighbours are armed with nuclear weapons, should our nuclear weapons be destroyed? What kind of an alliance is this which wants to make India powerless?"
Congress' thinking was anti-development
While addressing an election rally in Rajasthan's Barmer, PM Modi said the Congress' thinking was anti-development and the country's border districts were deliberately deprived of development by former Congress governments.
"Congress stands with every anti-national force. It ruled for decades but there is not a single major problem of the country for which it gave a complete solution," Modi said.
"Congress' thinking is anti-development. The country's border districts were deliberately deprived of development by former Congress governments," he said.
While Modi is busy making India a powerful nation, people of the I.N.D.I.A bloc are trying to make India weak, he said. The Congress is a constituent of the I.N.D.I.A bloc.
Coming down heavily on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused it of ignoring development work in border villages due to apprehension of the enemy using the infrastructure in case of a clash and said BJP government considers these villages as first villages.
"We consider the border areas and border villages not as the last villages but as the first villages of the country. For us, the boundaries of the country do not end here, the country starts from here. Today, if 4 crore poor people in the country have got PM housing scheme, then in Barmer also, nearly 1.75 lakh poor people have got the benefit of the scheme," he said.
Situation of border areas
Former Defence Minister AK Antony had told Parliament in 2013 that China's infrastructure in the border areas was superior and this mistake has to be accepted by all. Antony said that India had started building its infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) after years of indifference. The minister said there had been a policy in the past not to develop border areas. He said while trying to improve relations with China and find a solution to the boundary problem, the government will continue to strengthen capabilities along the border.In his speech, the Prime Minister talked of the steps taken by his government for the development of Rajasthan including Barmer.
"A refinery costing Rs 72,000 crore is going to be started in the border of town Barmer. In the coming time, employment opportunities will be created in this area and new paths will be created for the youth. I promise that in my third term in office, I'll come here again and inaugurate the refinery," he said. He accused Congress of corruption in the Jal Jeevan Mission.
"Rajasthan whose people gave their blood for the country, that Rajasthan was kept thirsty for water by the Congress. During the time the Congress government was in power in Rajasthan, it indulged in massive corruption in the Jal Jeevan Mission. Congress did not even allow the ERCP (Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project) to bring water to Rajasthan to be completed."
BJP has fielded union minister Kailash Choudhary from Barmer against Congress' Umaidaram Beniwal.
When will Rajasthan vote?
Rajasthan has 25 Lok Sabha seats. The polling will be held in two phases on April 19 and 26. The BJP had won all 25 seats in the state in 2014. In 2019, the BJP-led alliance won all 25 seats, with the BJP winning 24.
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