Congress cannot work in the interest of the country: Modi

In the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the Congress of "misleading" the public on the issue of the hike in LPG prices, saying the opposition party has proved that it cannot work responsibly in the interest of the country.

Addressing a program in Assam as the state heads for assembly elections, Mr. Modi said, "On one hand, the BJP-NDAA government is working to protect the interests of farmers, but the Congress has proved that it cannot work in the interest of the country. Even now, at a time of war, the Congress is busy spreading rumors and misleading the nation."

The Prime Minister's criticism of the Congress comes in the backdrop of the opposition's sharp attacks on the hike in cooking gas prices amid the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran.

Referring to the speech of the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru from the Red Fort on Independence Day, Mr. Modi said: "I would tell my friends in the Congress to listen to what Pandit Nehru said in a speech on August 15. Nehru ji said that prices are rising due to the war between North Korea and South Korea. Now, how far are North Korea and South Korea from India? And he said that prices are rising in India due to the war. Now the Congress is misleading people amid the current global situation."

Mr. Modi said that due to Covid and the war, fertilizer prices have risen multiple times in the international market. He informed that the government has spent over Rs 12 lakh crore from its exchequer during the last decade to save Indian farmers from the international crisis. He further said that during the Congress regime, farmers got only Rs 6.50 lakh crore as the minimum support price (MSP) for their produce, while during the NDA regime, farmers have got over Rs 20 lakh crore as MSP.

Mr. Modi also severely criticized the Congress for turning a blind eye to the problems of tea garden workers during its rule in the state. He said that during the Congress regime, tea garden workers did not have legal documents for their land.

He said, "But the BJP-NDAA government has not only given them dignity but has also given them ownership rights to their land today. Due to the NDA government, they have got land rights and now they have their own land."

The Prime Minister emotionally said that respecting tea garden workers is like repaying a debt. He asked, "You worked in the tea gardens of Assam and your produce reached Gujarat. And now I have reached here by selling the tea you produced. If I did not get the blessings of the tea garden workers, would I have reached here?"

Praising the current BJP government in the state, he said that Assam is now a model for the Northeast. The performance of the government here has given a new pace to development in the Northeast. He also mentioned the neighboring state of West Bengal, where the BJP has been challenging the Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee.

Prime Minister Modi said: "The changes brought about by the BJP-led NDA government in Assam are now visible in West Bengal as well. People there also want better governance under the BJP-NDA government."

Referring to the past decades of Kokrajhar, he said that once the sound of bombs and guns was heard in these hills, but the picture has changed today. He said that now the sound of 'Khram' (traditional drum) and 'Sifung' (flute) is being heard.

Mr. Modi termed it the beginning of a new chapter of peace and development in Bodoland and announced that the railway workshop to be set up here will make the region a major logistics hub.

The Prime Minister accused the Congress of "betrayal" and called it a "shop of false promises". He said that the previous Congress governments sitting in Delhi had only made paper agreements for show and created divisions between communities.

In contrast, he termed the National Democratic Alliance government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party as a "model of sustainable peace".

On the issue of security, the Prime Minister said that the Congress has always endangered the 'roti, beti, and mati' of Assam by supporting infiltrators. He praised the ongoing anti-infiltration campaign led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and said that now the indigenous people are getting legal documents for their land.

On the issue of Bodo culture and identity, he said that the government has not only given the status of 'associate official language' to the Bodo language but has also given national recognition to the traditional faith 'Bathou'.

He informed that about 10,000 youths who have laid down arms are now part of the mainstream. The program was attended by a large number of people, including Assam Governor Lachman Prasad Acharya, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Executive Member Hagrama Mohilary.