People calling Cong ‘bail gaadi’ as its leaders out on bail: Modi

Sounding the poll bugle in Rajasthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday came out hard against the Congress saying the people have nowadays started calling the party as “bail gaadi” as some of their prominent leaders are out on bail. He highlighted how his Government has put the Dalits, Backward Classes and women at the centre of its welfare schemes.

Modi, who launched as many as 13 infrastructure projects in the State, was apparently indicating at those like Shashi Tharoor and Rahul and Sonia Gandhi, who are on bail in cases related to the Sunanda Pushkar murder case and the National Herald case respectively.  Another senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has been granted interim protection by the Delhi High Court from arrest in the INX Media case.

“Several leaders who are called stalwarts of the Congress and former Ministers are out on bail these days,” Modi said at a public rally here where the Vasundhara Raje Government, facing a stiff political challenge from the Congress in the coming Assembly elections, had  tried to showcase the benefits accrued to  the poor by the Central and her  Government’s welfare projects  and programmes.  The Assembly polls are due by the year end with the Congress accusing the BJP of non-performance and corruption in the State. 

The Prime Minister said the people were well aware of the “intentions” of the Congress and had started calling it a ‘bail gaadi’.  He also appreciated Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and said she has changed the work culture in the State.

The PM said, “Never forget the tough circumstances in which Raje took oath in 2013. Systems were not working properly. She has changed the work culture in the State.”

Reflecting on the work undertaken by the Central Government, Modi said, “The Central Government and the State Government are working together for the progress of Rajasthan. Humare kaamkaaj ke tarike mein cheezen na atakti hain, na latakti hain aur na hi bhatakti hai (In our way of working neither the work gets delayed, nor pending, neither they get diverted).”

Making an apparent reference to the surgical strike into Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) in 2016, he criticised the Congress for questioning the capabilities of the Army.

“It is unfortunate that political opponents also committed a sin by raising questions on the capabilities of the Army. This has never happened before and the people will not forgive those who are doing this kind of politics,” he said.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stones - symbolically, through remote from the Amrudon ka Bagh rally venue - for the urban infrastructure projects worth Rs 2,100 crore in various districts of the State.

An estimated 2.5 lakh beneficiaries gathered to take part in the programme. Recorded statements of the beneficiaries were played out at the beginning of the public meeting and later, the same people met the prime minister on the dais. Groups of farmers also met him.

Attacking what he called dynastic politics of the Congress, he said the parties following the politics of family may continue like that but the BJP Government was committed to taking the country’s defence and self-respect to their pinnacle.

“The country today is at a crucial stage. We have started moving towards a new direction and I believe that the Government, with the cooperation of you all, will gain success in fulfilling its commitments,” he said.

 Without mentioning names, the Prime Minister said some people get disturbed on hearing the name of the BJP. They catch a fever when Modi or Raje are mentioned, he added.

 “Such people hate this kind of programmes but the common people get to know about the government’s schemes and programmes through such events,” he said about the rally he was addressing.

“Information about the schemes and programmes reaches the masses and this creates awareness among the public, and also creates pressure on the government machinery,” he said.

He said the BJP Government’s only agenda was development, unlike that of the previous Congress government whose leaders were bothered only about installing plaques with their names for projects.

In this respect he cited the example of the oil refinery in Barmer, suggesting that the Congress Government did little on it and the project progressed with pace when the BJP returned to power.

He said the poor, the underprivileged, farmers and women have been at the centre of the schemes which the Government has introduced in the last four years.

He mentioned Jan Dhan Yojna, crop insurance scheme, housing schemes, Ujjawala Yojna, Mudra scheme and the soil health card. He also talked about the recent hike in the minimum support price of farm produce.

Raje also targeted the Congress in her address, saying the party had worked only for benefitting its own people.

Governor Kalyan Singh and Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, P P Chaudhary and C R Chaudhary attended the event.

Newly appointed BJP State president Madan Lal Saini and other party leaders were also present at the event.