Puducherry: Virtually launching BJP’s campaign for upcoming Assembly elections in Puducherry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged people to vote for NDA’s good governance agenda and reject anti-development forces.
Addressing a party rally in the union territory, a day after Centre recommending imposition of President’s Rule following the collapse of the Congress government, the Prime Minister appealed to the people to bring to power a government that will restore Puducherry’s glory.
He said NDA wants to make Puducherry BEST — B for the business hub, E for education, S for the spiritual hub, and T for tourism hub. While the Congress “are gold, silver and bronze medal winners in telling lies” and neither work nor allow others to work.
Launching a scathing attack on the Congress party for failing to live up to people’s expectations, he said: “In 2016 Puducherry did not get a people’s government. They got a government that was busy serving Congress high command in Delhi. Their priorities were different.”
Attacking former Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy, Modi said: “Your former chief minister was an expert at lifting slippers of his top party leaders but he did not have the interest to lift people out of poverty.”
The Prime Minister said Puducherry deserves a government whose high command are people of Puducherry and not a small group of Congress leaders sitting in Delhi. “NDA assures the people of Puducherry that the next government will be the people-powered government.”
Modi claimed that the enthusiasm and energy he was seeing at the rally was a harbinger of the change in the political direction of the state.
“I am seeing great happiness — this joy for two reasons. One there are many developments works which were inaugurated today and second people of Puducherry are celebrating freedom from misgovernance of Congress,” he said.
He alleged that Congress’s government damaged every sector of the economy. “Congress does not believe in working for people I can understand that but what I can’t understand is why Congress does not want others to work for people,” he said alleging that there was non-cooperation from the Congress government.
Modi also mentioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to Puducherry during which then Chief Minister Narayansamy gave a wrong translation of a woman who was complaining about the government.
“Instead of telling truth to the nation, the chief minister gave wrong translation. He lied to people and his own leader. Can a party whose culture based on lies ever serve the people,” he asked.
He also slammed Congress for not holding panchayat elections in Puducherry. He said while Congress leaves no opportunity to call others anti-democratic but they need to look at themselves in mirrors. He said people will punish the anti-democratic mindset of Congress.
He remarked that while colonial rulers had the policy of divide and rule, Congress divides, lie and rule. “They are gold, silver, and bronze medal winners in telling lies,” he said
Without naming Rahul Gandhi, he said he was shocked to hear a Congress leader saying his party will make set up a ministry of fisheries. “I was shocked. The truth is that the NDA government made this ministry in 2019 and budget allocation for fisheries increased by more than 80 percent in two years.”
Stating that people all over India were rejecting Congress, Modi said their seats in Parliament are the lowest ever. He remarked that the Congress culture of feudal, dynastic, and patronage politics is ending.
Modi, who earlier inaugurated or lay the foundation stone for various projects, said the projects cover sectors like roads, healthcare, education, culture, sports, and marine economy. He said the impact of these works will be huge to improve connectivity and bring more opportunities to Puducherry.
He said when India is working towards becoming Atmanirbhar Bharat he sees a major role for Puducherry in this.
Stating that youngsters of the union territory are talented, he said all they need is the right support. He claimed that the NDA government through reforms in various sectors is helping IT, pharma, textile and other sector and encouraging startups.
Pointing out that language is becoming a barrier to education, he said the Centre was working towards systems medical and technical education will be given in local language.
