25 crore lifted out of poverty by Modi govt: Rajnath

Sambalpur: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday claimed that as many as 25 crore people have been pulled out from poverty under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rajnath said this while addressing an election rally at Rairakhole under Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is the BJP candidate in the Sambalpur constituency. ‘’Beginning from Jawahar Lal Nehru to Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, all have failed to eradicate poverty from the country. However, Modi is the first Prime Minister who could reduce the miseries of the poor people in this country,’’ Rajnath said.

Rajnath said the BJP, as promised, has ensured the building of Sri Ram temple in Ayodhya, which silenced the critics. ‘’As Ram Lala has come to his temple, now Ram Rajya will be established in India,’’ he said.

Rajnath came down heavily on Odisha’s BJD government for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme which provides free health service to the people. ‘’If voted to power, the BJP government will issue Ayushman Bharat cards to the people of Odisha,’’ Rajnath said. While calling upon the gathering to vote for the Lotus symbol to further the welfare schemes for the poor by the Modi government, Rajnath asked whether Modi’s welfare schemes are reaching the people in Odisha.

The senior BJP leader said the people will get pucca ghar, piped water, Ayushman Bharat card and other facilities as soon as the BJP government is formed in Odisha. Rajnath blamed both the Congress and BJD for the sorry state of affairs in Odisha. The Congress has ruled the State for 50 years and BJD for 25 years.

He claimed that India is the only country which provided free two doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all the citizens of the country. He said Modi also provided an additional 5 kg of foodgrains to the poor people during the pandemic period. ‘’This is Modi’s sensitivity towards the requirement of the poor people,’’ Rajnath said.

Rajnath further said Modi also highlighted Odisha’s pride and culture during the G20 summit. ‘’There is no international leader who has not taken a picture during the G20 summit with Konark wheel in the background,’’ he said and attacked the State’s BJD for spoiling Odisha’s literature, art, culture and tradition.