Chhattisgarh Assembly 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stones of several projects worth over Rs 26,000 crore, including the NMDC's steel plant, at Jagdalpur city in poll-bound Chhattisgarh. It is the fourth visit of the PM to the state in the last two-and-half months, where assembly elections are due by this year-end. PM Modi also flagged off the Tadoki-Raipur rail service in Jagdalpur.
Addressing a rally here, the Prime Minister launched a scathing attack at Congress and said, "The entire country is watching the condition of Chhattisgarh that the Congress has done in the last five years. Corruption is rampant all across the state. Chhattisgarh is among the leading states in terms of killings. It seems like Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are competing with each other over more murders, loots and crimes against women.
"In Chhattisgarh, development is visible either on posters and banners, or in the coffers of Congress leaders...Corruption and crime are at their peak in Chhattisgarh; the state is competing with Rajasthan on these two fronts," the Prime Minister said.
Intensifying his attack, he said, "Congress has made 'Loktantra' as 'loottantra' and 'prajatantra' as 'Parivartantra'..."
The Prime Minister also took a swipe at the party over its demand for a caste census in the country. Recalling former PM Manmohan Singh's statement that 'minorities have first right to country's resources, Modi asked if the Congress wants to decrease the rights of the minority.
"Since yesterday, Congress leaders are saying 'jitni aabadi utna haq'... I was wondering what the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be thinking. He used to say that the minority has the first right to the country's resources... But now Congress is saying that the population of the community will decide who will have the first right to the country's resources... So now do they (Congress) want to decrease the rights of the minority?" he said.
"Do they want to remove the minorities?... So, should the Hindus, who have the largest population, come forward and take all their rights?... I am repeating Congress party is no longer being run by Congress people. Senior leaders of Congress are sitting with their mouths shut, neither are they asked, nor do they dare to speak after seeing all this. Now Congress has been outsourced...." the PM said.
PM On Launching various Projects In Chhattisgarh
Addressing a 'Parivartan Mahasankalp' rally of the BJP earlier, the PM said that the vision of developed India will be fulfilled when every corner of the country will be developed. "...Today multiple development projects worth more than Rs 27,000 crore have been inaugurated here..." the PM added.
He said that physical, digital and social infrastructure should be in accordance with the future needs to ensure a developed India. "This is the reason why our government has, in the last nine years, increased the expenditure on infrastructure to Rs 10 lakh core" PM Modi added.
The Prime Minister also said that the rail budget of Chhattisgarh has been increased by nearly 20 times as compared to 2014.
"In the state after the electrification of the railway network, Vande Bharat train is also being operated....In the upcoming years, all the stations of the state will be developed and transformed by the Central government..." he added.
Incidentally, the Congress has called for a 'bandh' (shutdown) in the region during the PM's visit alleging that his government wants to privatise the steel plant, as per PTI.