CHANDIGARH: On the campaign trail for BJP candidates in poll-bound Haryana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reached out to the agrarian masses, saying that India would not allow its water to flow to Pakistan.
“For 70 years, the water which belongs to India and the farmers of Haryana flowed to Pakistan. Modi will stop this water from flowing into Pakistan and bring it to your homes,” he told a rally in Charkhi Dadri. Farmers of Haryana and Rajasthan have the right over the water that flows to Pakistan. It was not being stopped by the earlier governments. Modi will fight your battle.’’
Incidentally, Punjab and Haryana are caught in a dispute for decades over share of water from the Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. The apex court had asked the union and both state governments to sort it out amicably.
Modi also reached out to the voters as he thanked them for the success of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. “It (the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao) became a movement only due to the active participation of thousands of villages. This Diwali should be dedicated to our daughters and celebrate their achievements,” he said.
In 2015, Modi had launched this scheme in Panipat. Subsequently, the sex ratio improved to 925 women per 1,000 men from 853 a decade ago.
Reaching out to the rural communities that every year sends a large number of recruits to the armed and paramilitary forces, the PM spoke about his government’s decision to implemented the One Rank, One Pension scheme. “As many as 19 lakh veterans have benefited as a result of this decision,’’ he said.
At another rally in Kurukshetra, which has a significant Sikh population, Modi said, he was happy for the Kartarpur corridor project, linking India with the historic Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan. “We are fortunate that we have got the chance to fix the political and strategic failure that happened seven decades ago, to some extent,” he said.
“The whole country is preparing to celebrate the 550th ‘Prakash Purb’ celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev on November 9. For this, the central government is making all efforts to celebrate the festival globally,’’ the PM asserted.