PM Modi attacks Congress, others for farm neglect
The Prime Minister said that his government is working day and night for the development of farmers.
Lucknow: Promising to double farmers’ income by 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stepped up his attack on the Congress and other parties and mocked them for shedding “crocodile tears” for peasants despite themselves neglecting development and irrigation projects during their own rule.
Addressing a public meeting here after inaugurating the Ban Sagar canal project and laying the foundation stone of the Mirzapur medical college, he said, “In the name of agriculture and farmers, the previous governments had been leaving projects incomplete or delayed them.”
“Those who are indulging in politics in the name of farmers had no time to raise the prices of MSP. When we came to power, we drew up a list of incomplete projects and set about completing them,” said Mr Modi, who began his speech in the local dialect.
Seeing political motives in rival parties’ new-found love for agriculturists, he said, “Those who are shedding crocodile tears for farmers today should be asked as to why they did not complete irrigation projects which were left incomplete throughout the nation during their tenure.”
Pointing to the delayed Ban Sagar project, the Prime Minister said, “The project could have been completed a long time ago but 20 years were wasted in talks, promises. The Ban Sagar project which had an initial cost of Rs 350 crores, was completed at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore after 20.”
Previous governments used to come up with incomplete projects which got stalled and people suffered because of this attitude, he added.
The Prime Minister said that his government is working day and night for the development of farmers. “We want to double the income of farmers by 2022. I urge farmers to take maximum advantage of government schemes to double their income,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that a recent international report said that five crore people have come out of poverty in the last two year. “Is this not the result of the government’s schemes?” he asked.
Mr Modi said, “The last time that I came to Mirzapur for launching solar irrigation project, French President Emmanuel Macron was with me. He was very impressed with the country’s rich tradition and culture”.
The Prime Minister also praised the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, and said, “Since the time Yogi Adityanath has led the government, the eastern region is being paid adequate attention for all round development.”
During the day, Mr Modi also inaugurated 108 Jan Aushadhi Kendras and dedicated a bridge over the Ganga river at Balughat, Chunar, which will facilitate connectivity between Mirzapur and Varanasi.
The 171 kilometre long Ban Sagar canal project is expected to help 1.70 lakh farmers in Mirzapur and Allahabad. It is a joint venture of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.