"A distinguished leader from Maharashtra was agriculture minister but...": PM Modi attacks Sharad Pawar

Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) [India], October 26 : Apparently targeting Sharad Pawar, who was the Agriculture Minister in the UPA government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that while the BJP-led government was actively empowering farmers, some individuals in Maharashtra were engaged in political activities under the guise of representing farmers.
"Some individuals in Maharashtra solely engaged in political maneuvering under the pretext of advocating for farmers. A distinguished leader from Maharashtra served as the nation's Agriculture Minister. I have personal respect for him, but what did he accomplish for the farmers?" PM Modi said in Shirdi.
Posing question to people, PM Modi said, "People would often hear from him ( Shard Pawar) about various figures before 2014, but what was the true nature of those figures."
"There were figures related to corruption in lakhs and crores, scams worth significant amounts, but what is the scenario now?" he added while comparing the current political environment with the previous regime of UPA in 2014.
PM Modi emphasized that the genuine essence of social justice is attained when the nation is "free from poverty" and when the "underprivileged receive ample opportunities." He reiterated the government's mantra of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' while addressing the audience in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.
Addressing Maharashtra's Ahmednagar, PM Modi said, "The welfare of the poor is the highest priority of the double-engine government and informed about increasing the budget for the same as the country's economy is expanding."
He highlighted the distribution of 1 crore 10 lakh Ayushman Cards in Maharashtra to beneficiaries, which provide health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh, with the government investing Rs 70,000 crores in this initiative.
"Our government is following the mantra of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. The highest priority of our double Indian government is the welfare of the poor. Today, when the country's economy is growing, the government's budget for the welfare of the poor is also increasing," he said.
He also informed about the government expenditure of more than Rs 4 lakh crores each for providing free ration to the poor and constructing pucca houses for them.
"We started PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, with the help of which Rs 2 lakh 60 thousand crores have been given to crores of small farmers across the country. Rs 26,000 crores has also been transferred directly into the bank accounts of small farmers of Maharashtra," he added.
The Prime Minister also pointed out that the said expenditure is six times more than what it was in the decade before 2014. To provide tapped water supply to the homes of the poor, the Prime Minister informed that the government has spent more than Rs 2 lakh crores.
Under PM Svanidhi Scheme, he informed that street vendors are getting assistance up to thousands of rupees.
Touching upon the newly launched PM Vishwakarma Scheme, PM Modi said that this Scheme aids lakhs of families of carpenters, goldsmiths, potters and sculptors with a government expenditure of more than Rs 13,000 crores.
Talking about the small farmers, the Prime Minister mentioned PM Kisan Samman Nidhi under which small farmers received 2 lakh 60 thousand crore rupees including 26 thousand crore rupees for the small farmers of Maharashtra.
He expressed happiness that the Maharashtra Government has started 'Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana' under which Maharashtra Shetkari families will get an extra 6000 rupees, meaning local small farmers will get 12,000 rupees of Samman Nidhi, he said.
The Prime Minister stressed the government's unwavering commitment to empowering farmers, highlighting that in the past seven years, foodgrains worth 13.5 lakh crore rupees have been procured under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) program, compared to a mere 3.5 lakh crore rupees during the tenure of a senior leader in the previous government.
"Oilseed and pulses worth 1 lakh 15 thousand crore were procured after 2014 compared to 500-600 crore rupees worth MSP procurement earlier. Direct Benefit transfer has removed corruption and leakage," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth about Rs 7,500 crore across various sectors.
Later in the day, the Prime Minister will visit Goa to inaugurate the 37th National Games.