In a speech marking the first anniversary of his government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pitched his government as “pro-poor” and said it had brought “achche din (good days)” to people but “bure din (bad days)” to those who had “looted” the nation.
Addressing a rally at Nagla Chandra Bhan village — associated with Bharatiya Jan Sangh ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay, he made veiled attacks at the Congress over its repeated criticism of his government as “pro-corporate” and “anti-poor”.
“Some people are troubled these days. Their trouble is that ‘achche din’ have come for many, but for some, ‘bure din’ have come… I did not guarantee ‘achche din’ for those who looted the nation for years,” Modi said.
“Are the bad days over or not? Have bad deeds stopped or not? Is bad thinking over or not? Has the bad situation changed or not? Has there been any news of scam or nepotism for the past one year,” he asked.
Referring to the Congress, he said its voice was heard in the corridors of power for 60 years but there is “no place for power brokers today and bad days are natural for them”.
“I have stopped power brokers from having a say. These power circles are history now, there is no place for such people.”
“We have delivered freedom from bure kaam (bad work) in the past year,” Modi said, and lauded the people for being responsible for the change.
He said there were no stories of a scam involving “son-in-law or a son” of a political leader in the past one year and there was no remote control.
Listing the steps taken by his government for the poor and the farmers as well as initiatives like the direct benefit scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Swachh Bharat and social security schemes, he, however, did not mention the contentious land acquisition bill.
Referring to the controversies during the United Progressive Alliance government relating to coal and spectrum allocation, he said his government had ensured transparent auctions.
“Due to coal auction, three lakh crore rupees will be added to government coffers,” he said.
Citing the remarks of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi that only 15 paise of every rupee sent by the central government reaches people, Modi said his government had made efforts to ensure that there was no leakage.
Modi said three lakh farmers had committed suicide over the past 60 years and said his government had taken several initiatives for their benefit including an irrigation programme and steps to boost production of urea.
“We have decided to give a soil health card to every farmer over the next three years,” he said.
“We have decided that in the next five years, rivers will be interlinked and water harvesting will be done. We will ensure that farmers get adequate water and electricity in the next five years,” he added.
Modi also said that the foreign fund inflows have increased by over eight times in the first year of his government compared to the last year of UPA government, while tourist arrivals had increased which will create jobs.
He also spoke about the government’s efforts to boost small and medium enterprises.
“There has been a new decision every moment, an effort for change every moment… Those who are having bad days, they will complain. I need your support in my resolve,” he said.
People from neighbouring villages had come in scorching heat to the venue to listen to Modi.
Modi, who began his speech by referring to Lord Krishna, was presented a garland of 365 lotus flowers, which also is the party’s election symbol, to mark 365 days of his government.
Beginning with Modi’s rally, the BJP has planned a mega campaign to mark the completion of one year in office by the National Democratic Alliance government.
[“source-abplive.in”]
