Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took a swipe at his political detractors saying those who did not bring any real change in the lives of the poor during their five-decade-long rule were now questioning his Government.
On his first trip to his lok Sabha constituency in over eight months, the Prime Minister claimed poverty alleviation measures lack a proper direction and become a talking point during elections.
“What these people could not do in 50 years, I will do in 50 months, I have come here to say this,” Modi said while addressing a select gathering at multipurpose ground in Cantonment area.
Modi also launched the `45,000 crore nationwide Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) in his parliamentary constituency. The city will get `572 crore for the project that aims at underground cabling of power lines, cutting line losses.
Modi said he was happy to launch this nationwide project from Varanasi and urged people to use lED bulbs in their houses so that electricity bills can be slashed, and there is more illumination. The PM said his Government was committed to bringing power to every village and every household in India by 2022, when the nation celebrates the 75th year of Independence.
He also launched seven other projects and schemes that include construction of a ring road in Varanasi city, beautification and widening and revamp of the road from Babatpur Airport to the city.
Modi referred to the recent order of the Allahabad High Court in which it had quashed assimilation of ‘shiksha mitra’ as teachers in Government schools. He said he would definitely try and find a way to resolve the problem once the court order is received in writing.
“I am pained to hear that a ‘shiksha mitra’ committed suicide on hearing the court verdict,” Modi said and urged the people not to take such drastic steps and instead be patient and let the Government find a way.
Appealing to the poor to send their wards to schools as only education can change the fate of the nation, he thanked the people of Varanasi and said he was indebted to them as it was because of them that he became a parliamentarian and then the Prime Minister.
Modi stressed on skill development and said if technology is allowed to enter the lives of the poorest of the poor, they can earn more and become self-reliant.
Modi also distributed e-rickshaws, cycle rickshaws and paddle trolleys to a section of the poor to make them self-reliant.
Modi said this programme was not just to change the lives of a few people but was a new beginning that will change the future of ‘Kashi’ and its poor.
“Due to these things, things will start moving fast and the town will get a new identity and the common man’s lives will improve,” he said.
Making an indirect attack on his predecessors while addressing a function of select people at multipurpose ground in Cantonment area, Modi said: “Jinhone kuch nahi kiya woh hamse hisaab mangh rahe hain” (those who did nothing are asking us to give account).”
“I’m surprised when those who have sought the details of the operational ratio of our ambitious plan, Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, criticise our performance when even after nationalisation of banks about 40-50 years ago, they were not open to the poor. Had they helped the poor open bank accounts earlier they would have been spared the worry about the operation of the recently-opened accounts under the scheme,” he said.
“I’m happy that till date not only about 18 crore bank accounts have already been opened but our ‘Garibs’ (the poor) showed their ‘Ameeri’ (richness) by depositing nearly Rs 30,000 crores,” he said.
“We have been hearing about ‘garibi hatao’ for the last 40-50 years. In elections also, we have been hearing about poverty alleviation programmes for poor. It has become a tradition in politics to talk about the poor and their welfare. There is need to come out of this tradition,” Modi said.
“What these people could not do in 50 years, I will do in 50 months, I have come here to say this,” Modi said.
He said till now all experiments in this regard have not yielded the desired results and “we have not been able to bring the desired changes in the lives of the poor.
“I don’t want to blame any Government, but want to focus on things that help the poor come out of poverty,” Modi said.
The programme organised by Rickshaw Sangh here was also attended by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and State Jail Minister Balram Yadav. Top officials of the America Indian Foundation, which is one
of the organisers of the rickshaw distribution drive, and financial institutions like IDBI, SIDBI, UCO Bank and Bharatiya Micro Credit shared the stage with the Prime Minister.