Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday tried to defend demonetization terming it as a “bitter medicine” which was used to bring back money into banking system and to give “proper treatment to deep-rooted corruption system” in the country.
The prime minister was addressing a poll rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua for the November 28 Assembly elections.
PM Modi also said his government has so far disbursed loans to 14 crore people, “that too without guarantee”, under the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana.
“The amount of work we (BJP-led government) have done in four years, Congress would be able to do it in 10 years,” Modi said.
“Remember the time when Congress was in power here in Madhya Pradesh, what was the condition of people? Madhya Pradesh does not deserve a government which never thinks about the state’s welfare,” Modi said, targeting the Congress party.
The prime minister said that during the Congress’ 55 year rule in Madhya Pradesh, 1,500 schools were made, but Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan established 4,000 schools in the state in just 15 years.
“Our mantra is to provide education to boys and girls, income for youth, irrigation facility to farmers and medicines to elders,” Modi said.
Modi said the Congress promised to waive farmers’ loans in Karnataka, but instead of doing so, issued warrants against peasants and sent them to jail.
“My government is aiming to double farmers’ income by 2022,” the prime minister said.
On ‘housing for all’, Modi said, “My dream is to provide ‘pucca’ houses to everyone in the country by 2022. We have so far given keys of such houses to 1.25 crore people”.
Meanwhile, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused government officials of interfering with the CBI’s working – the latest being allegations that NSA Ajit Doval attempted to meddle in a case.
“A crime thriller called ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ is underway in Delhi,” Gandhi tweeted in Hindi, in an obvious attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The latest episode reveals serious allegations against a Minister, National Security Advisor (Doval), Law Secretary and Cabinet Secretary by a DIG of the CBI,” Gandhi said.
A senior Central Bureau of Intelligence officer told the Supreme Court that top government functionaries, including Doval, had interfered in the probe against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana who is facing bribery charges.
“His (Modi’s) partner, who has been brought from Gujarat, is raising crores of extortion money. The officers are tired. The trust has been broken. “Democracy is crying,” added Gandhi.
Gandhi’s latest attack came in the wake of CBI officer M.K. Sinha alleging that Doval and Central Vigilance Commissioner K.V. Chaudhary, among others, interfered in the investigation against Asthana.
Deputy Inspector General-rank officer Sinha, who was probing the Asthana case before being shunted out to Nagpur, alleged that a “few crore of rupees was paid to Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhari”.
(With agency inputs)