The state needs “people first, not family first” government, he said.
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Telangana today took a swipe at state Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, without naming him, accusing him of corruption and dynastic politics. The state needs a “people first, not family first” government, he said.
The PM said many people ask him how he doesn’t get tired despite working very hard. “I don’t get tired because every day I eat 2-3 kg of gaalis (abuses)…God has blessed me in such a way that it gets converted into nutrition inside me, to take it positively,” he said.
“Abuse Modi, abuse BJP…but if you abuse the people of Telangana then you will pay a heavy price,” he added.
Appealing to party workers, the PM said, “I have a personal request for the karyakartas (party workers) of Telangana. Some people due to desperation, fear, and superstition will use the choicest of abuses for Modi. I request you not to get astray with these tactics”.
The Prime Minister said over the last 20-22 years he had heard all varieties of abuse against himself. “They have exhausted their dictionary of abuse. They do it because they have nothing else to give. But I appeal to you, to laugh at it, relax and have good tea, with hope, because the next morning the lotus is going to bloom.”
PM Modi then accused the state government of deliberately hindering Centre’s development schemes in the state.
The PM also took a dig at KCR’s “superstitious beliefs”, claiming all crucial decisions — including where to live, office location, who to pick as minister, who to drop etc. — are taken based on superstition. It is the biggest hindrance to social justice, he added.
“Telangana is a centre of information technology. But superstition is being promoted in this modern city, which is very sad. If Telangana is to be developed, if we have to lift it from backwardness, then first we have to remove superstition from here,” he said.
The PM claimed the opposition parties are trying to form a coalition as they fear corruption investigations against them by agencies.
PM Modi, while alleging rampant corruption in the state, said his government’s push to digital transactions and online payments have significantly reduced corruption as those transactions can be tracked. “When payment is done online, chances of corruption are diminished. It creates a direct link between the government and people,” he said.
Pointing to his flagship “tri-shakti” of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile, the PM said, “we have been able to remove all fake beneficiaries. The poor are receiving money directly in their accounts. Earlier, the money and ration meant for the poor were looted through fraud”, promising that the BJP is ready to provide same system to the people of Telangana.
The Prime Minister also alleged that the Telangana leadership is not allowing the Central welfare schemes to reach the people. He gave the example of the Centre’s affordable housing scheme and said three crore houses have been built and given to the poor elsewhere in the country. “But here they promised 2BHK but have not allowed even PM Awaas Yojana. Despite all the efforts of the Centre, the Telangana government is creating trouble in PM Awaas Yojana. This government has deprived the people of Telangana of the happiness of having a roof over their heads,” he said.
