PM Modi unveils development projects in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, attacks Congress over corruption

New Delhi [India], October 5 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday dedicated multiple development projects worth about Rs 5,000 crore at Jodhpur and laid the foundation stone of Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak Aur Udyaan in Jabalpur and also unveiled projects of over Rs 12,000 crore in sectors such as road, rail, energy, housing and drinking water.
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are among the four states that will go to assembly polls later this year. The Bharatiya Janata Party aims to unseat the Congress government in the desert state.
PM Modi took a dig at Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for his absence at the official event in Jodhpur on Thursday in which projects of about Rs 5,000 crore were unveiled and said the Congress leader has confidence that when the PM comes, everything will be fine.
PM Modi, who addressed a rally after unveiling the development projects in Jodhpur, also attacked the Congress government in Rajasthan over the law and order situation in the state, saying there were several instances of atrocities against the Dalits and women.
"It was a government programme but the Chief Minister was absent. Why was he not there? Because he has confidence that if Modi comes, everything will be fine," PM Modi said.
"Unko Modi pe itna bharosa hai. Aur isliye unko laga ki arre bhai Modi aa rahe hain to bas ho jayega. Aur mai bhi unko kehta hun, aap vishram kijiye, ab hum samhal lenge (He has so much confidence in Modi. He felt that Modi is coming, works will be done. And I am also telling him that you take rest, we will take care of everything)," he added.
PM Modi also flagged off two new train services in Rajasthan. These included a new train - Runicha Express - connecting Jaisalmer to Delhi and a new heritage train connecting Marwar Junction - Khambli Ghat.
Further, two other rail projects were dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister. These included projects for doubling the 145 km long 'Degana-Rai Ka Bagh' rail line and the 58 km long 'Degana-Kuchaman City' rail line.
PM Modi also attacked the Congress over "corruption" in government schemes during its rule in Madhya Pradesh and alleged that funds meant for the poor were filling the coffers of the corrupt.
In a veiled reference to the Congress-led UPA government, he said headlines were about various scams.
PM Modi said after 2014, the BJP-led government carried out a 'Swacchta' campaign to weed out the corrupt practices.
"Eleven crore fake beneficiaries who never existed were removed from the government lists with the use of technology. After 2014, Modi ensured that the funds meant for the poor are not looted by anyone."
Noting that it is a critical time for Madhya Pradesh, the Prime Minister pointed out that any hindrance in development will ruin the hard work of the last two decades carried out by the BJP government in the state.
He said it is people's responsibility to ensure that children grow up to see a developed Madhya Pradesh in the coming 25 years.
He said the state government has taken Madhya Pradesh to the top in agricultural exports in the past years and also stressed the importance of the state being a leader in industrial development.
Noting India's manifold increase in defence production exports over the years, the Prime Minister said that Jabalpur has a big contribution to this.
He said that the central government is providing 'Made in India' weapons to the defence forces and the demand for India's defence products is also increasing in the world. "Madhya Pradesh is also going to benefit a lot from this, thousands of new employment opportunities are going to be created here," he added.
In the 2018 elections, the Congress party secured 100 seats, in Rajasthan which was short of majority by one seat (as 101 seats are required to form the government). Later, it formed the government with Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The BJP had secured 73 seats, much fewer than those in the previous election in which it had won a majority of 163 seats.
Meanwhile, during the 2018 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Congress emerged as the single largest party with 114 seats and BJP got 109 seats. Nonetheless, in 2020, the Congress government lost the majority followed by the resignations of some MLAs. After this, the BJP formed the government in the state and Shivraj Singh Chouhan was reinstated as the Chief Minister.