Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh) [India], March 25 : Training his guns at the Congress, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the grand old party only talked about the welfare of the backward classes but their words never translated into action.
Addressing a public rally on Saturday in Madhya Pradesh, which would go to polls later this year, Shah claimed that the BJP has worked for the upliftment of the backward classes.
In a direct address to the audience, the Union Home minister said, "The Congress made many tall promises on the welfare of the backward classes but never followed up their words with action. However, after you made Modi-ji the Prime Minister in 2014, he gave constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes."
Shah said the tribals in the Chhindwara area only got their due, in terms of respect and recognition, after the BJP came to power in the state.
"Prime Minister Modi honoured the tribal communities across the country by celebrating the birth anniversary of Lord Birsa Munda on November 15, 2021, as 'Tribal Pride Day'," said Shah.
Invoking Congress' slogan of 'Garibi Hatao', which was coined during the Prime Ministership of Indira Gandhi, the Home minister alleged that the party did not work for the poor.
"The Congress coined the slogan of 'Garibi Hatao', but did not work for the poor. Within 9 years, Modi-ji worked to bring a significant change to the lives of 80 crore poor people in the country," the Union Home minister said.
"When you elected Modi-ji as the Prime Minister in 2014, he said his government will be one for the poor, backward classes, tribals and Dalits," he added.
In a scathing attack on former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, Shah said he promised to increase the old-age pension but did not keep his word.
"Kamal Nath had promised to increase the old-age pension but did not keep his word. All he did was stop the schemes implemented by the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. He had said a government-run sugar mill would be opened in Satpura, but till date, no such unit has come up. He did not even promise to open a matchbox factory in the Harrai development block. He had announced a Pench thermal power project but even that wasn't done," Shah added.
Claiming further that the promise of Van Dhan Dam, which was made in 1973, was fulfilled by the Shivraj government in 2003, he said, "The Congress only makes promises but never fulfils them."
On the abrogation of Article 370 in the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir, Shah said the Congress had delayed a decision to that effect since independence but the government led by PM Modi demonstrated the political will to do it in 2019.
"This Congress sat on the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu & Kashmir since independence. It wasn't until August 5, 2019 that Modi-ji abolished Article 370 by introducing a Bill in Parliament. With this move, our Kashmir, the crown jewel of our motherland, integrated with India forever," he added.
According to sources, the BJP is trying to curry favour with voters in the tribal-dominated Chhindwara district with an eye on the upcoming Assembly elections and the Lok Sabha polls next year.
The saffron party had lost the Chhindwara constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
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