Maintaining the focus on the performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party Government compared to the performance of past Congress-led government at the Centre and the Congress election manifesto released recently, the BJP national president Amit Shah asked the people in Uttarkashi whether they would prefer a government that ensures national security or compromises with it.
He asked the people to choose between a party that focuses on improving the lot of the poor compared to a party that focuses on ensuring the perpetuation of dynastic rule. Shah said this while addressing a public gathering at the Ramlila ground in Uttarkashi on Wednesday.
Addressing the public at Uttarkashi which falls under the Tehri Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP national president began by referring to the link between the BJP and Uttarakhand.
He said that it was during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as prime minister that the State of Uttarakhand was created.
“In the last election we had sought votes assuring that Atalji had created the state and Modiji will nurture it. Trusting us, you voted the BJP to office here in 2017 due to which the state has been progressing on the path of development with Narendra Modi as the prime minister and Trivendra Singh Rawat as the chief minister.
The chief minister has taken strict action to tackle corruption as in the case of the national highway 74 scam. Earlier, transfer posting was an industry in the state but now though various industries are being set up, the business of transfer postings has been eradicated.
The 300 MW Lakhwad hydro project which had been pending for many years is now in progress.
During its 55 years in office, the Congress ignored the demand of ex-servicemen for one rank one pension but Modi acted on it in one year.”
Shah referred to the all weather road project, terming it the “fate line” of the state.
He said that completion of this project would boost the state’s economy while also ensuring safe and convenient pilgrimage for devotees to the Char Dham shrines.
Referring to the works done by the Modi government, he said that the Union Government had initiated various welfare schemes for 50 crore poor citizens of the nation.
Under the Ujjwala scheme, free cooking gas connections had been provided to seven crore people including three lakh in Uttarakhand. The Union Government had facilitated homes for 2.50 crore people and provided electricity connections to 2.35 crore homes.
The prime minister had launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme to provide free health cover to the poor while the Uttarakhand CM took it further by launching the Atal Ayushman Uttarakand Yojana providing free health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family for all citizens of the state.
While the Congress government had allocated Rs 36,000 crore for Uttarakhand, the BJP-led government provided Rs 84,000 crore for the state.
He said, “The Congress has worked to further its dynasty while the BJP works to ensure the welfare of the poor. For four generations, the Congress has been talking of eradicating poverty. Nehru talked of it, Indira Gandhi gave the Garibi Hatao slogan, Sonia Gandhi said the same in Italian and now Rahul Gandhi has said it in English but they did nothing to tackle poverty.”
“The most important work that the Modi government did was for national security. Only the Modi government can give a befitting reply to Pakistan and terrorists.”
“However, when people like Omar Abdullah talk of a separate prime minister for Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress remains silent. Does this mean that the Congress agrees to such a demand? In its manifesto, the Congress has talked of revoking the sedition law. Who is the Congress trying to protect? I request the Congress to not play with national security for vote bank politics. While the Congress talks of removing the AFSPA, the BJP stands like a cliff in the way of executing such intentions. We will stand strongly with the army,” he stressed.
Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and BJP candidate from Tehri constituency, Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah also addressed the gathering on the occasion.