Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday that the Central government would launch a scheme worth Rs 24,000 crore for tribal welfare on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas on revered tribal King Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary on 15 November.

Madhya Pradesh has 21 per cent tribal population, which is the highest in any state in India. Of the 230 seats in the MP State Assembly that would go to polls on 17 November, 47 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST).

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Addressing his last three election rallies back-to-back at tribal dominated Jhabua, Betul and Shajapur districts in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on the penultimate day of canvassing today, the PM asserted that the “fake” promises of the Congress would be swept away in the storm of Modi’s guarantees in these assembly polls.

Modi retorted, without naming anyone, that a Congress leader who is mahagyani (over intelligent) and murkho ka sardaar (leader of idiots) is roaming around saying that Indians have ‘Made in China’ mobile phones in their hands.

The PM said mobile phones worth more than Rs 3.5 lakh crore are being manufactured in India and phones worth around Rs one lakh crore are being exported too.

Modi’s response was apparently to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement at an election rally at Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh yesterday that Indians presently use ‘Made in China’ mobile phones and his aim was that one day the people of China should have phones whose label reads ‘Made in Madhya Pradesh’.

“The Congress leaders suffer from the ailment of being blind to the country’s achievements and success,” the PM averred. “They (the Congress) are wearing foreign glasses, which prevent them from looking at the development and achievement of India,” he added.

He said the assembly polls are against the corruption and loot of the Congress. You all know full well that, “Congress aayee, barbaadi layee (Congress brings devastation),” the PM averred.

He accused the Congress of only using the tribal people as a vote bank but not doing anything for their welfare like constructing roads or providing electricity, water, health services and education.

He charged that the Congress has sunk in its greed to benefit just a few chosen families. He said the Congress has only looted money of people through blatant corruption and filled up its coffers.

“Do not let the corrupt ‘palm’ of the Congress touch your money ever again,” he impelled the large crowd. “The Congress only makes false promises to get votes,” he said, pointing out that the Congress government in MP never fulfilled its promise of waiving the loans of farmers.

He assured that all guarantees given by the BJP would be fulfilled. “You know that Modi’s guarantee means the fulfillment of all guarantees,” he asserted.

“Tomorrow I will visit Jharkhand and pay homage to Bhagwan Birsa Munda. The union government will launch a scheme worth Rs 24000 crore for the welfare of tribals,” the PM declared.

He claimed that the Congress has accepted its defeat in MP and many Congress leaders have already stopped coming out of their houses.

Saying that the blessings and love of people enthuse immense energy in him to work more for their overall welfare, development and benefit, the PM called upon the huge crowd and all BJP workers to ensure that the BJP not only wins by a huge margin in MP but also that all BJP candidates score victories on each and every booth of the 230 seats in the state.