On poll eve, PM Modi extends free-ration scheme for 5 years

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, November 4

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced the extension of free ration for the poor scheme for five years, in a mega sop on the eve of elections in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Addressing a rally at Durg in Chhattisgarh, which goes to polls in the first phase on November 7, the Prime Minister also declared that poverty is the biggest caste and warned the people against “Congress conspiracy to divide the poor through the new gimmick of caste census”.

Speaking of 13.5 crore people coming out of poverty in five years of the BJP rule, the PM said the Congress was seeking to divide the poor through new ploys so that the poor continued to depend on Congress for alms.

The Congress hates a self-confident poor person, said the PM.

“In the war against poverty, the poor are uniting and rising as one caste. The poor have become Modi’s army to fight poverty. This unity of the poor is troubling some politicians. They are afraid their web of lies would be exposed if the poor become strong and united. So a new game has now begun to divide the poor, break their unity.

Political parties are hatching new conspiracies to spread casteist venom and break the unity of poor people. We have to foil these conspiracies and together defeat poverty,” the PM said at an election rally in Durg attacking the Congress’ pro-caste census push.

The PM also attacked the Congress government of Chhattisgarh for corruption and said it did not even spare “Mahadev”.

His reference was to ED raids revealing allegations that promoters of Mahadev betting app funded CM Bhupesh Baghel’ election expenses.

“The threat of this illegal betting racket goes right up to the CMO,” Modi said accusing the state Congress of “rampant corruption across sectors from recruitment and liquor to PDS and coal”.

The PM said the Congress was constantly engaged in abusing India’s only OBC prime minister noting, “OBCs will not forgive the Congress for heaping abuses on the backwards.”

The PM’s veiled attack was on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s “why do all thieves have Modi surname” statement for which the latter was convicted by a Surat court.

Urging people to choose between “BJP’s all-inclusive manifesto and Congress bunch of lies”, the PM said, “Congress is busy filling its coffers by plundering the poor. It has no care for the poor which is why it fed poverty over decades of rule at the Centre despite giving the 'garibi hatao' slogan.” 

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#Caste census #Chhattisgarh #Congress #Madhya Pradesh #Narendra Modi #Rajasthan