Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the Congress government adopted Soviet Russia-like policies after Independence and the country had to pay the price for it.
Had the Congress prioritised rural development instead, the situation would have been very different, the BJP leader said at a campaign rally in support of MLA Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar at Deoni in the district ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections.
Congress preferred to follow the Russian economic model and today we are witnessing the consequences of that decision, Gadkari said, adding that government-run airlines suffered heavy losses and even gold mines lost money in those days.
"It means wherever Congress laid its hands, only losses followed. If Congress had prioritised rural development instead, things would have been very different today. In a democracy, change requires the right policies and principles," the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister said.
The fundamental principles of the Constitution cannot be changed, yet Congress claims that the BJP would change it, he said.
"Nobody will change the Constitution. We have seen how the Congress tore apart the Constitution during the Emergency. They try to portray the BJP as anti-Muslim, but we have never implemented any policies based on caste or creed," Gadkari said.
The BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state are implementing various welfare schemes aimed at uplifting the poor, and villages have been interconnected through the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, showing the Narendra Modi government's commitment to rural development, he said.
Of 6.30 lakh villages in the country, over 3.30 lakh villages are connected with roads, Gadkari said, adding, "what Congress couldn't achieve in 60 years, we accomplished in 10 years."
"Our vision is to make India `Vishwa Guru'. We are working towards a corruption-free nation and a prosperous future for agriculture and rural India. If we want a happy, prosperous, and thriving country, free from poverty and differences, we need to entrust power to the right people," the BJP leader added.
