BHOPAL--Taking the impasse over the land bill to public, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the Opposition of using its majority in the Upper House to stall the country’s progress.
“I appeal you to raise your voice against them,” Modi urged a large gathering while dedicating two units of 600 MW of Shri Singhaji Thermal Plant and laying a foundation stone for two units of 660 MW each in Khandwa district.
“We are accused of being anti-farmers but when I told them in Rajya Sabha that I am ready to amend the legislation they did not come up with one point,” he said while accusing the previous government of passing a law that was anti-farmer and anti-development.
Lapsing into campaign mode, the PM asked a series of questions to the gathering to drive home the point that land was essential for schools, roads, hospitals and factories because “they can’t be built in the sky.”
“Do you want your sons to end up in slums in Delhi or Mumbai? Would you rather have your sons employed in nearby places,” he said while accusing the UPA government of not allocating land for schools, hospitals and factories.
“I have no personal business or interests,” he said and called himself a chowkidar, a term he used frequently during campaigning for the general elections.
He attributed the BJP’s spectacular victory in the Lok Sabha elections and his landing the PM’s job to people’s anger against unbridled corruption and lack of accountability.
Alleging corruption in the coal block allocation during the UPA rule and the subsequent cancellation by the Supreme Court, he said,”pap unhone kiya musibat hamare liye hui (they sinned and created problems for us.”
Referring to the recent auction of 19 coal blocks and the Rs 1.10 lakh crore it generated, Modi said his government has proved the then CAG right. During the previous government, the entire process was manipulated by sending message from one house in Delhi and sanction from another house.
“We are transparent and don’t work behind curtains. Not one paisa will be swindled,” he said and added, “no one can estimate the amount that will be generated when the auction of the remaining coal mines is over.” “it’s your money,” he told the audience while referring to the Rs 40,000 crore Madhya Pradesh will get from auction of four coal mines.
The Indian Express
