Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 16 hit out at the Congress, saying that everyone is leaving the party as it is trapped in the vicious circle of nepotism and dynastic politics. He said the Congress' sole agenda is to "oppose Modi" and the party does the opposite of what he does, even if it leads to a loss for the country.
The Prime Minister was virtually addressing an event, 'Viksit Bharat, Viksit Rajasthan', in Jaipur. He also laid the foundation stone for various projects worth about ₹17,000 crore and inaugurated various development works.
"The Congress has only one agenda — oppose Modi. They spread such things against Modi which can divide society. This is what happens to a party when it gets trapped in the vicious cycle of dynastic politics. Today, everyone is leaving the Congress and only one family is seen there," PM Modi said.
“A big problem with the Congress is that it lacks the farsightedness to frame positive policies. Neither can the Congress foresee the future nor does it have any road map for it,” he said.
"When Modi fulfils his guarantees, some people lose sleep. You are looking at the situation of the Congress, you have recently taught a lesson to the Congress but it does not accept it," he said, referring to the Rajasthan Assembly election results. Mr. Modi said the more someone abuses him, the more the Congress embraces him.
“They do not even take the name of ‘Viksit Bharat’ because Modi is working for it, they avoid ‘Make in India’ because Modi promotes it, they do not speak about ‘Vocal for Local’ because Modi insists on it.”
"When India became the fifth-largest economic power, the whole country was happy but the Congress people were not happy. When Modi says that India will become number three in the world in the next term, the whole country is filled with confidence but the Congress people find disappointment in this too," he said.
The Prime Minister said, “Whatever Modi says and does, the Congress says and does the opposite, even if it means a huge loss for the country. Such politics does not inspire young India at all.”
Mr. Modi said, “During the Congress era, the entire country faced darkness due to the shortage of electricity. Even if electricity came, it came for a short period of time. Crores of houses did not have (electricity) connections. No country can develop without electricity.”
“It would have taken decades to solve this problem at the speed at which the Congress was working,” he said.
"After coming to power, we focussed on getting the country out of this power shortage. We made policies and took decisions and laid emphasis on the new sector of solar energy," he said. PM Modi said the situation has completely changed today and India has become one of the leading countries in the world in terms of generating electricity from solar energy.
"The (BJP's) double-engine government is working rapidly to make Rajasthan self-reliant in electricity production," he said. Mr. Modi reiterated that the NDA will cross the 400-mark in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“During the Congress rule 10 years ago, people used to discuss big scams and terrorist attacks and were worried about their lives and jobs. However, people are dreaming big today,” he said.
Referring to his recent visit to the UAE, the Prime Minister said he met the top leaders of the country and Qatar who were surprised by the progress taking place in India.
"Today, they also believe that a huge country like India can dream big. Not only can it dream but also achieve (those dreams)," he said.
Mr. Modi said ‘Viksit Bharat’ is not just words or a sentiment. It is a campaign to enrich every family, eradicate poverty, generate employment and create modern facilities in the country. “Fast development of important facilities such as rail, road, electricity and water is necessary for growth,” he underlined.
"When these facilities are developed, farmers and cattle herders will benefit, industries will come up, tourism will increase, investment will come and jobs will be created. "When roads are built, railway lines are laid, houses for the poor are built, water and gas pipelines are laid, employment increases in the construction sector," he said.
To make India a developed country, the Prime Minister said, the government is strengthening four sections — the youth, women, farmers and the poor. "For us, these are the four biggest castes," he said.
Before addressing the programme, Mr. Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than ₹17,000 crore catering to various sectors, including roads, railways, solar energy, power transmission, drinking water, and petroleum and natural gas. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma also addressed the programme in Jaipur.
The programme was live-streamed at around 200 places across the State and was attended by Ministers, MPs, MLAs and other public representatives.
