Distinguishing his party from his political rivals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the BJP’s work and priorities “are not decided by votes” but keeping in mind the interest and development of the nation.
Mr. Modi said it was the tendency of politicians to work where they sensed a possibility for securing votes and strengthening their votebanks.
“But, brothers and sisters, we were raised in a different culture. Our character is different. For us the country is bigger than the party. Our priorities are not decided by votes,” the Prime Minister said in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, on the concluding day of his two-day tour.
Better cattle wealth
Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a cattle health fair, Pashudhan Arogya Mela, in Shahanshahpur, Mr. Modi said, “The mela will serve those animals who will never go out to vote. They are not anybody's voter.”
Mr Modi said the Pashudhan Arogya Mela would benefit the animal husbandry sector in Uttar Pradesh, provide relief to farmers who for various reasons have neglected the health of cattle, and also increase the productivity of the cattle.
Mr. Modi lamented that though India was the largest producer of milk, it fared poorly in per capita animal production, making cattle-rearing costly, mostly due to poor animal health. If the per capita production was increased, it would attract farmers towards dairy farming and also pave the way for a new economic revolution.
Pitch for cleanliness
Mr. Modi, who also laid the foundation of a twin-pit toilet as part of the government’s cleanliness drive, praised the State for naming it Izzatghar or ‘room of honour’.
Mr. Modi said he liked the name as “where there is an izzatghar, there is honour of our mothers and sisters.”
The Prime Minister said the inhabitants of Shahanshahpur had promised him that the village would be made open defecation free by October 2. Stressing that “swachhta (cleanliness) is a puja (a ritual) for me,” the Mr Modi said it was a means of freeing the poor from diseases and the attendant financial burden.
Mr. Modi also reiterated the pledge to double the income of farmers by 2022, adding that his government had resolved to provide shelter to every poor person in the country, urban and rural, by the same year.
He criticised the previous Samajwadi Party government for allegedly ignoring the Centre’s requests to provide the list of the homeless, and said that only after much pressure, the State had sent a list of 10,000 beneficiaries. In contrast, the Yogi Adityanath government, which came to power six months back, had already provided a list of lakhs of people who will avail benefit, the Prime Minister said.