Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at the Congress saying that the principal opposition party and its “ecosystem” was agitated with him for taking part in Ganesh Puja.

PM Modi took a dig at the Congress and Opposition parties while addressing a public meeting in Bhubaneswar to dedicate welfare measures and infrastructure programmes for the coastal State.

Modi in an indirect reference to the criticism by the opposition parties for participating in Ganesh Puja rituals at the residence of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said ”Ganesh Utsav festival is not only a festival of faith for our country, but also it played a vital role in the freedom movement.”

It’s pertinent to note here that the Prime Minister’s courtesy visit to CJI Chandrachud’s residence where he took part in the Ganesh puja had sparked a political war of words with the Opposition criticising it saying that such an act compromised the constitutionally mandated separation between the judiciary and the executive.

Firing salvo at the Opposition, Modi said “those hungry for power had a problem with Ganesh Puja and they are trying to divide and break the society”.

Dwelling on the rich historical legacy of Ganesh festival, PM said “the British who used to hate the Ganesh Utsav adhered to divide and rule policy. Even now, the power-hungry people who are busy dividing and breaking society are having problems with Ganesh Puja. You must have seen that the people of Congress and its ecosystem are angry because I participated in Ganesh Puja,” he added.

Modi cited the instance of Congress-ruled Karnataka where Lord Ganesh was “put behind bars” by these (Congress) people.

Modi in his first visit to Odisha on his 75th birthday after taking oath as the prime minister for the third term, launched the Odisha Government’s flagship women-centric Subhadra Yojana programme which BJP had promised in 2024 poll campaign.

Eligible women between the age of 21-60 years would receive Rs 50,000 over a period of five years between 2024-25 and 2028-29. An amount of Rs 10,000 per annum would be credited in two installments directly to their accounts. The initiative is expected to cover more than 1 crore women.

PM Modi initiated the first phase of fund transfer into the bank accounts of women beneficiaries at a function here today.

The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation Railway Projects valued at over Rs 2800 crore in Bhubaneswar besides laying the foundation stone for National Highway Projects worth more than Rs 1000 crore.