PUDUCHERRY: Hitting out at the Congress and its rule in Puducherry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted people to reject such anti-development forces and vote for the NDA, while promising immense development of the UT and 'restoration of its glory'.
Modi who launched a plethora of projects for healthcare, education, sports and marine economy in poll-bound Puducherry on Thursday also addressed a massive public rally soon after commencing the BJP's election campaign here.
He promised to make Puducherry the BEST -- standing for development of business, education, spiritualism and tourism. The youngsters of Puducherry who are talented will be supported through incentives and schemes. This will be the NDA manifesto for the elections to the Legislative Assembly, he said.
“What I am seeing here today, the energy and enthusiasm, is wonderful. It shows how the direction of the wind is changing in Puducherry,” said the PM.
Modi charged that the Congress government was not a people's government. Though people voted with great hope for the Congress in 2016 to solve their problems, after five years they are disappointed as their hopes are broken and dreams shattered.
Calling Narayanasamy’s government a 'high command' government, which was only serving its leaders, Modi said he damaged every sector of governance as the Congress does not believe in working for the people. He wondered why the Congress does not want others to work. “Funds for central government schemes were provided, but it remained unutilised,” said Modi.
Countering the Congress for its 'murder of democracy' remark, Modi said it should look in the mirror, citing the non-conduct of the panchayat elections despite Supreme Court orders. Citing civic polls in Jammu and Kashmir and the one currently happening in Gujarat, he said they can happen everywhere but not in Puducherry. “People will punish the undemocratic mindset of the Congress,” said Modi.
Sharpening the attack on the Congress, Modi said it has adopted the divide and rule culture. Sometimes they pit leaders against each other, sometimes community against community. Moreover, it is an expert in telling lies, Modi said, adding that Rahul Gandhi’s promise to create a ministry of fisheries as it did not exist was a lie. The Ministry of Fisheries was created in 2019 and the funding was increased by 80 percent in this year's central budget. A separate ministry for scheduled tribes was created by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Referring to the wrong translation of a complaint by a fisherwoman against him during the visit of Rahul Gandhi by Narayanasamy, Modi said, "A leader who lies to his own leader and people can never serve the people."
Elaborating on the NDA’s development agenda, the Prime Minister said that the NDA focus area will be to improve education infrastructure in Puducherry. The NDA education policy of 2020 will change the way of learning, he said, adding that the NDA government has increased the number of medical and engineering colleges in India. He said language is becoming a barrier to education, which is why the Centre is working towards a system where medical and technical education would be given in the local language, adding that many students will gain from this.
Puducherry has a beautiful amazing culture and is a wonderful place to become a hub of spiritual tourism, he said, adding that people can come here to discover themselves. Similarly Puducherry can draw many more tourists from India and abroad. "You have the sunshine, the sand, shores and a remarkable spirit and vibrant spirituality," he said.
The NDA government is working to improve local infrastructure and connectivity so that more tourists can come here. "In the last five years, India’s tourism sector had grown rapidly and in the world tourist index we have improved from 60 to 34," said Modi. When tourism grows, economic activity grows and people earn more. "So let us make Puducherry the best," he said.
Two more sectors of the NDA's focus area are coastal development and making the cooperative sector stronger. The NDA government believes that the road to an Atma Nirbhar Bharat will not be complete without a strong economy. Projects like Sagarmala will transform our coast and coastal communities. Last year, India’s fisheries exports were Rs 46000 crore, which is a growth of over 50 percent compared to 2014.
The 'high command' government of the Congress did not manage the cooperatives properly. Many of them had to close down. “I come from Gujarat where the cooperative movement has transformed many lives,” he said. The NDA government will work to make the cooperative sector in Puducherry very vibrant which will specially help the women of Puducherry, he added.
A gathering of around 30,000 people attended the rally at Lawspet. Puducherry BJP President V Saminathan and other leaders attended the rally.