Hitting out at Congress for looting the people’s money, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that before 2014 the Congress government at the Centre had no stone unturned to ruin life of poor people.

Addressing a public rally at the inauguration event of the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway in Mandya, PM Modi said, “Before 2014, the Congress government at the Centre left no stone unturned to ruin poor people. Congress government looted the money which was for poor people.” Taking a dig at Congress for raising the slogan ‘Modi teri kabar khudegi’ (Modi, your grave would be dug), the Prime Minister said Congress is dreaming of digging Modi’s grave’ while Modi is busy in building Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and easing the lives of poor.

“Congress is dreaming of ‘digging Modi’s grave’ but they don’t know that blessings of mothers, sisters and people of the country work as protection shield for me. They (Congress) leaders are busy dreaming of ‘digging Modi’s grave’ while I’m is busy in building Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and improving the lives of poor,” PM Modi said.

He further said that during the Congress regime, the poor had to run from pillar to post to get benefits but under the BJP government, benefits go to their doorstep.

PM Modi said that a lot of work is happening across the country for modern infrastructure, and Karnataka is changing and India is changing.

He said infrastructure does not bring with it only convenience, it brings employment, it brings investment, it brings means of earning.

“In 2022, India got a record investment. Karnataka benefitted the most. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an investment worth Rs 4 lakh crores in Karnataka,” said the PM.

PM Modi said that in the last nine years, houses were made for over 3 crore poor people under which lakhs of houses were made in Karnataka.

“Under Jal Jeevan Mission, tap water has also been provided to 40 lakh families in Karnataka,” he added.

The PM said that the Irrigation projects which were pending for decades in the country are being completed at a fast pace through the Upper Bhadra Project. “The Upper Bhadra Project is a major Lift Irrigation Scheme under implementation in the central region of Karnataka State,” he added.

He also said that in this budget, several provisions have been made for sugarcane farmers.

“From 2013-14 onwards, Rs 17000 crores of ethanol have been purchased from the sugar mills and this money has reached the sugarcane farmers. From biotechnology to defence manufacturing to aerospace to EVs, Karnataka is the base for all these new industries,” said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister said that the government has decided to ramp up the production of ethanol to increase the income of sugarcane farmers of Mandya, this will safeguard their interests.