BJP leader slams Congress for failing to address poverty, defends Modi's welfare initiatives

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 16 (ANI): BJP leader Sidharth Nath Singh on Saturday lashed out at Congress for failing to address poverty and basic needs like housing, sanitation, and health insurance, contrasting it with the Modi government's initiatives such as free rations, housing projects, and inclusive welfare schemes.

Singh accused Rahul Gandhi of forgetting the words of his grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who had famously said, "Mein Kehti Hoon Garibi Hatao. Wo Kehte Hain Indira Hatao.""You could not remove it. Your father too could not eradicate it. Manmohan Singh and others too came to power but they could not eradicate poverty", the BJP leader added.

He further defended the Modi government's welfare programs, saying that the BJP government has been successful in providing free ration, building houses, and implementing schemes for sanitation and health insurance.

Singh said, "The poor didn't get houses, toilets, health insurance schemes, or free ration. PM Modi is providing ration free of cost, houses are being built and Awas Yojana, toilets are being built...You didn't think anything about the health insurance scheme," Singh stated. He also underlined that the government does not provide these benefits based on caste or religion, adding, "PM Modi says Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas."Meanwhile, while adressing a public rally in Jharkhand on Friday, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of trying to "destroy" the Constitution, which he called the "soul of the country." Gandhi, speaking at election rallies in Jharkhand, claimed that the Maharashtra government was toppled to "grab land" and accused the BJP for working for a few industrialists. "The Constitution is the soul of the country. The PM says that Rahul Gandhi is wandering with a red-coloured Constitution. See, the colour doesn't matter, what matters is what's written in it," Gandhi said.

Gandhi also claimed that the Modi government had waived Rs 16 lakh crore for wealthy businessmen but had not addressed the issues of farmers. He slammed the BJP for reducing reservations and promised an increase in reservations if the Congress returned to power. "In Jharkhand, BJP has reduced the reservation for backward classes. On the one hand, Narendra Modi gives a speech saying- I belong to the backward class. On the other hand, they reduce the reservation for backward classes, snatch away your land and make you unemployed through demonetisation," he said.

The 288 Maharashtra Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on November 20, with the vote count happening on November 23.Campaigning has intensified for the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra with both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) making efforts to woo the electorate. (ANI)