Asking people to end corruption by switching over to cashless transactions by using their mobile phones as e-wallets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lambasted the Opposition for calling a Bharat bandh on Monday over his Government’s move to cull high value currency notes.
“Those who have looted the country for 70 years won’t be spared. On one hand, we are trying to curb corruption and they are organising Bharat bandh. Should there be Bharat bandh or should the route of corruption be blockedIJ,” he asked people while addressing a major rally in Khushinagar in Assembly poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.
The people responed with an emphatic “no” when Modi asked them whether they support the bandh.
The Prime Minister said moneyed people were more vocal against this decision of the Government but the poor, who too are facing problems, have supported the move with the hope of getting a better future.
“They hope that this decision will end corruption and black money,” Modi said.
“Currencies are only required for corruption and black money so we have to use it less so that the menace can be prevented,” he suggested.
Addressing a Parivartan rally at the Kasaya airstrip in Kushinagar, Modi reiterated that his decision of demonetisation was only for the benefit of the poor as the money which is collected would be spent for their well being.
“Country was going in the right direction. We need money to speed up development as India cannot lag behind in the world,” he said.
Urging the youth to train other people on how the mobile technology can help in transparent transactions and to ease out the shortage of currencies, PM said: “Technology has simplified our lives. Mobile phones have become banks today and its use will choke flow of black money. There is no need to carry purse or money, now your mobile phone has taken its place,” he said.
“You can send photos and WhatsApp messages easily by your phone, similarly it is very easy to make your mobile your e-wallet,” Modi said adding: “I salute the people of this country. Despite facing inconvenience, people have accepted the demonetisation drive. Corruption and black money have ruined the nation. India should now become free from all such evils.”
He said 20 days have passed and now just 30 days are left after which everything would ease out. “Rich people will have bigger problem with my demonetisation move while the smaller ones will have smaller problems,” he said while commenting on the problems being faced by the people with the demonetisation move while announcing that he had already sought 50 days time to end the problem.
He even referred the report of Chinese media terming the demonetisation move a bold decision in a democracy. “This is India and there are several people who can take such bold decisions and this Government has the potential to take strong decisions,” he said.
Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party Government over non-implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yogjna, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that this Government has no intention of working for the welfare of people.
“This UP Government is so engrossed in fighting among themselves that it has no time to implement Fasal Bima Yogjna. But I think the Samajwadi Party is not interested in carrying out development work in the State. Had it been the case, it would have implemented the Central schemes in the State,” he said.
“My Government is dedicated to the development of poor, farmers, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes along with other oppressed communities. It is unfortunate the previous Governments in UP did nothing for the welfare of these people,” he said and added: “This SP Government did not clean silt of the canals with the result farmers are not getting water for the fields.”
During his speech the PM mainly focused on the agriculture sector emphasising on how his Government brought the soil health card for the farmers so that they can get high yield from their farms besides now the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yogjna will enable them to get compensation for their loss even if they could not sow due to natural disaster or any other reasons.
The PM said that his Government introduced neem-coating of urea which has stopped its misuse while ethanol from sugarcane has reduced India’s fuel imports by around 100 crore litres. We want our sugarcane farmers to prosper.
He also said that the cane farmers’ dues were also paid directly to the farmers’ bank accounts and the dues which was around Rs 22,000 crore in 2014 had come down to a negligible amount. He also lamented how this sugar bowl of eastern UP had been destroyed by the consecutive State Governments.
“We are giving impetus to infrastructure in UP. Be it railways, fertiliser plants, we want Poorvanchal to prosper. Our Government is dedicated to welfare of villages, farmers and the marginalised,” he said, while adding that “so many people have gathered today in large numbers in Kushinagar proves people’s faith in us”.
The Parivartan rally was also addressed by Union Minister Kalraj Mishra, Gorakhpur BJP MP Yogi Adityanath and UP BJP president Keshav Prasad Maurya.