Bidar (K'taka), Oct 29 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Moditoday lashed out at the alleged "Congress culture" of stallingprojects and keeping them pending, and said his government hadtaken steps to end it.
He was speaking after inaugurating the 107 km Bidar-Kalaburagi railway line, built at a cost of Rs 1,542 crore.
The project was conceived in 1994.
"The Congress' work culture is atkana (hinder), latkana(delay) and bhatkana (mislead) to stall projects. You will getthousands of such projects in India that get started to reappolitical mileage but later get stalled," Modi said.
The delay in implementing the projects led to costoverruns and the previous government was to be blamed for this"criminal negligence", he alleged.
"If we have to move forward we have to end this workculture. We have taken steps to do away with it. We have givenimportance to time-bound work culture," Modi said.
Modi also reaffirmed his government's commitment tofighting corruption.
"We are fighting corruption. The Congress has becomeinsensitive. I was surprised that when in Gujarat there werefloods, Rajya Sabha election was also going on in the state,"he said.
"When people were dying in floods, fields were gettingwashed away and farmers were in distress, all their(Congress) legislators were enjoying in Bengaluru. At the sametime a minister's house was raided by Income Tax (department)and bundles of notes were recovered," he alleged.
Gujarat Congress MLAs were in Bengaluru during the RajyaSabha polls in August, in which Congress chief Sonia Gandhi'spolitical secretary Ahmed Patel faced a tricky battle butmanaged to scrape through.
The party had claimed that they were brought to theKarnataka capital to prevent the BJP from poaching them.
Modi's reference to the IT raid related to KarnatakaEnergy Minister D K Shivakumar.
He also said people of the country would not forgivethose who run their businesses with "bags filled with notes".
Such people now feel they have been looted due todemonetisation and that they are now in distress, he said.
"You will be surprised that due to demonetisation the notes that got deposited in banks... we kept track of wherethey have come from. Three lakh bogus companies that we havecome to know of were involved in hawala and each company usedto have 1,000 bank accounts," Modi said.
"Despite our shutting these three lakh companies, no oneburnt Modi's effigies," he said.
The prime minister said officials were working with thehelp of technology and it was found that there was dishonestbusiness of about Rs 4,000 crore in 5,000 of the three lakhshell companies.
"This money belongs to the country's poor and honestcitizens. I cannot allow it to be looted, so I'm in thisfight," he said.
On the Goods and Services Tax, Modi said all stategovernments were part of decisions related to it and itsimplementation was a collective decision of all parties.
The trading community had not opposed the GST andaccepted it. It only complained about shortcomings. Theybrought it to the government's notice and it had to be setright, he said.
"I want to tell the trading community that you give suggestions...my government functions with an open mind. Weare ready to make all improvements."Modi said he had also told the bureaucracy that anenvironment of honesty prevails in the country.
Earlier, there were many traders who did not issue bills.
Now they are saying that they do not want to do it and willwork by the rules, he said.
"They fear that if they follow law and rules, officialswill question them about their earlier trading history... Iwant to assure the trading community that no officialwill open your old office (files). Those who want to moveforward for the country, they will be given full protection,"he said.
"Earlier some things might have happened, but if theynow want to walk the right path, they are welcome. They willbe given protection...It is the government's duty to supportthem," he said.
"I want to tell all small and big traders, if still anyofficial troubles you, write me a letter. I will fight foryou," he said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah skipped the function as hehad earlier made known his displeasure over being invited atthe last minute.
He, however, deputed a senior cabinet colleague.
Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge alsostayed away for idential reason. PTI KSU RA APRAAR.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.