Etawah (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 5 : Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad on Sunday weighed in on the completion of 9 years of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre, claiming whatever was promised have been fulfilled.
Addressing a press conference at Etawah on Sunday, Nishad invoked the phrase "9 saal bemisaal (9 unprecedented years)", adding, "We are taking our achievements over the course of our 9 years in power at the Centre to the people. We fulfilled what we had promised it is now our responsibility to let the people know about it."
He added, "Our government (at the Centre) is consistently doing good work, which is why we won the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls as well as the (UP) Assembly polls last year hands down. We are on course to winning the next year's Lok Sabha elections as well. Modi-Ji has alloted funds to the tune of Rs 26,000 crores for fishermen. The government is constantly carrying out development work for the community."
On the Opposition's argument that the Centre was hoodwinking the people with its misleading claims of development, Nishad said, "They should first come clean on what they did for our backward classes in the last 30 years. We have set up a commission for them. They did no such thing when in power."
Hitting out at former chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, he said, "Akhilesh Yadav had been the chief minister of the state and is the national president of his party. He should list out what all he did during his years in power."
"They (Opposition leaders) took an oath to serve the people as members of the Parliament and the legislative assembly but only beleive in staging walkouts. This shows who is misleading the people. All communities are with Modi-Ji. Our governnents at the Centre and the state have worked for all sections without any discrimination," Nishad said.
On the Opposition demanding the resignation of Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in light of the horrific triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore, which left 275 passengers dead and more than 1,000 injured, the state minister said, "Tell me if anyone from the Opposition resigned, owning moral responsibilities for such mishaps, during their tenure in power. Our Prime Minister visited the accident spot as well as the injured in hospital. Name any other PM who did something similar. The Opposition leaders should refrain from resorting to such cheap politics in this hour of grief. Instead, they should help us ensure that no such incident takes place in future. The number of such accidents has actually gone down since we came to power."
On the ongoing wrestlers' protest and the ultimatum by the khap panchayats to act against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faces allegations of sexual harassment, Nishad said, "The matter is in court and we should exercise patience and await its verdict."
On the statement by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's that Muslims were safest in India, the UP minister said, "We are now free of polarisation, Article 370 and communal riots. Muslims have now identified parties which indulges in the politics of appeasement for votes. There are more Muslims than there are members in the SC and ST communities. Our government (at the Centre) provided houses, Ayushman cards (under scheme to provide health insurance to people who are deprived of the secondary and tertiary care services) and food to people from disadvantaged communities without any discrimination."
He added, "Even Muslims are now joining us. They are our people. Our only ideology is to serve the people."
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre completed 9 years in power on May 30. It came to power in 2014 with a comfotable majority, securing 282 seats of 543-member Lok Sabha.
In 2019, it stormed back to power, winning 303 seats.
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