Taking the Congress head-on, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said while the other Opposition parties want Parliament to function, only ‘one family’ is disrupting the Rajya Sabha to avenge the Congress party’s rout in the 2014 lok Sabha polls.
The Prime Minister was addressing a public rally at Moran in Assam’s Dibrugarh district after inaugurating two major projects — the Assam Gas Cracker Project and Wax producing unit of the Numaligarh Refinery limited (NRl) at lepetkata in the tea and oil rich Dibrugarh district on Friday.
Without naming the Gandhis, Modi said, “Those who were reduced from 400 seats to 40 seats are creating obstacles. Opposition parties want Parliament to function. However, just one family which is holding grudge for the defeat is not allowing the Rajya Sabha to function.”
“Friends, all the Opposition parties want Parliament to function. However, one family is out to take revenge for their defeat. They are not allowing laws to be passed by the Rajya Sabha. The NDA Government wants to bring in laws that will increase the bonus of workers and will lead to increased navigation and trading activity in Brahmaputra River. However, these laws are awaiting nod of the Rajya Sabha as the ‘one family’ is not allowing the Upper House to function,” Modi said.
Modi also slammed the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre and the Congress-led Assam Government for the delay in executing the
Rs 10,000-crore Gas cracker project and said the BJP-led NDA Government has inaugurated thousands of such projects, irrespective of whoever, laid the foundation stones of those projects.
Referring to the Gas cracker and the Wax producing unit of the NRl, Modi said that two major projects are not only important for Assam but also for the entire country. “These two projects not only carry employment opportunity of the State but also push the overall growth of the country,” said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister also appealed to the people of the State to vote for the BJP in the forthcoming elections and said that welfare of Assam can become a reality only if there is a Government in Assam which listens to the Centre.
Taking a potshot at the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi-led Government in Assam, Modi said the Government has failed to provide houses, drinking water, electricity and education to tea tribes, who have for generation workers in the tea garden and gave Assam worldwide recognition.
“You have given opportunity to all the parties in Assam. You also know well who has done what. Give us one opportunity to serve you. There is a BJP led Government at the Centre and there should be a BJP Government in the State as well for overall development,” said the Prime Minister while appealing the people to vote for the BJP in the forthcoming polls.
“Sarbananda ko lana hai, kyunki aapke jeevan mein anand lana hain (we must bring in Sarbananda-the name of Assam unit of the BJP president Sarbananda Sonowal-because we must bring in pleasure to your life),” Modi said.
Incidentally, the Gas Cracker Project was envisaged by the then Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi in 1984 and given a shape by Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 at the end of the six-year long anti-foreigners’ agitation. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation stone of the project in 2007.
Executed by the Brahmaputra Crackers and Polymers ltd, the project has missed several deadlines and overshot budget.
The petrochemical project will use naphtha and natural gas from the State’s oilfields to produce ethylene for manufacturing polymers.