Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday banked on the past laurels without promising anything for the future to the state during his Punjab visit.
Modi’s visit, when the country was switching into an election mode, came amidst speculations of special package for the farmers, among other things. But, Modi pulled the credit out of the Congress party's bag to swing it in his favour after claiming it to be part of his party’s success story.
In his 35-minute address to the dhanvad rally at Gurdaspur, Modi ended up counting what BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre did, and the Congress-led UPA did not, without announcing any new development project or any relief package for the State.
Targeting the Congress party on the issues ranging from Kartarpur Sahib corridor to 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Modi failed to announce anything as a solution to the problems afflicting the state like farmers’ woes, water and economic crisis, among other things.
All that Modi said that many projects are going on in Punjab and the Congress-led State Government should fulfil the central government’s schemes at the earliest.
“Centre has taken up construction of food processing units, incubation centres, etc, and the lakhs of youth will get jobs. More than 11 lakh women have been given free gas, 28 lakh men have been benefitted through MUDRA, 2.5 lakh through skill development...The State Government needs to be more proactive regarding central schemes,” said Modi.
Finding fault with the Congress Government’s loan waiver scheme, Modi said that the party was cheating farmers in the country in the name of loan waivers.
“The Congress earlier cheated the country in the name of ‘garibi hatao’ for years and is now cheating farmers in the name of loan waivers,” said Modi, accusing the Congress of indulging in the politics of lies and cheating.
“It has done nothing for the farmers. It is misleading farmers in the name of waiving farmer loans,” he said.
“In Punjab, the Congress promised to waive massive loans of farmers but that was far from truth...The truth is something else. As per their own documents and admission, only loans worth Rs 3,400 crore were waived in one and a half years. Is loan waiver a five-year plan for Congress? Will they give loan waiver after the farmer dies?” he said.
Playing the emotional card in the Sikh state, Modi patted his own back for the opening up of Kartarpur Sahib corridor, and convictions of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims, while holding the Congress party responsible for the same.
“Only the Congress party is responsible for the difference of four kilometres to Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib. Now, the NDA Government will make a great corridor linking Kartarpur Sahib,” said Modi.
Coming down heavily on the Congress over the 1984 issue, Modi questioned elevation of Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister without mentioning his name.
“Jinka itihaas hazaron Sikh bhai behno ko berahmi se hatya ka ho aur jo aaj bhi dango ke aaropiyon ko mukhyamantri pad ka puruskar de rahe hain, un logon se Punjab samet desh vasiyon ko satark rehne ki zarurat hai. (Those whose history involves the killings of thousands of Sikhs and those who continue to appoint riot-accused persons as chief ministers of states, Punjab and the entire nation should beware of such people),” he said.
Taking a jibe at former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was recently convicted in a 1984 riots case, Modi said: “Those who were declared sajjan and their case files were closed by a particular family was brought to the book by the NDA government. We formed an SIT and the results are for everyone to see.”
In his list of credits, Modi included implementation of Swaminathan Commission’s report, besides initiating Shahpur Kandi dam project, distributing 11 lakh free kitchen gas connections, and empowering GST to religious institutions like waving of the tax on langar items.
Apart from this, Modi declared that the teachings of Sikhs’ first master, Guru Nanak Dev, would be disseminated across the world on the occasion of his 550th birth anniversary.