Bina (MP), Sep 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday termed the Opposition’s INDIA grouping as “ghamandia” (arrogant), and alleged that it wants to “destroy” Sanatan Dharma and push the country into “a thousand years’ slavery.”
The credit for the G-20 summit’s success goes to the people of the country, he said, adding that it has boosted the self-confidence of even children in the villages.
The Prime Minister was speaking after laying the foundation stone of a Rs 49,000-crore petrochemicals complex at Bina Refinery in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh along with ten other industrial projects in the BJP-ruled state where assembly elections are due by the year-end.
“The ‘ghamandia’ alliance met in Mumbai recently. They have neither any policies, nor issues, nor a leader. They have a hidden agenda of attacking Sanatan Dharma which they want to destroy,” Modi said.
Mahatma Gandhi drew inspiration from Sanatan Dharma and his struggle for freedom was centred around it, the Prime Minister further said.
Gandhi followed Sanatan Dharma all his life and his last words were “Hey Ram”, Modi noted.
Great historical personalities like Indore ruler Ahilyabai Holkar, Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, Swami Vivekananda and Lokmanya Tilak also drew inspiration from Sanatan Dharma, he added.
“They (the Opposition) have started speaking openly. They are going to sharpen their attack on us. Every follower of Sanatan Dharma in every nook and corner of the country and the nation-lovers have to be watchful,” Modi said.
“The `INDIA’ alliance wants to abolish Sanatan Dharma and push the country into a thousand years’ slavery. But we have to stop these forces unitedly. With our unity, we have to thwart their attempt,” he further said.
The Prime Minister’s attack on the Opposition bloc followed DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s controversial statement that Sanatan Dharma is against social justice and should be eradicated. A Raja, another DMK leader, likened Sanatan Dharma to diseases.
The heads of the people of the country are high and their chests are filled with pride due to the success of the G-20, he said.
“The credit does not go to Modi. The credit goes to 140 crore people….Every child in the villages was aware of the G-20. It has bolstered their self-confidence. It was the team spirit that made it successful,” Modi added.
Targeting the Congress without naming it, he said those who ruled Madhya Pradesh for a long time did nothing, but only indulged in corruption and crime.
“Criminals held sway in the state earlier. But after we (BJP) were given the chance (to rule), the lawlessness and corruption have disappeared,” Modi said.
With the change in the atmosphere, industrialists are investing in the state, he added.
Madhya Pradesh, once one of the most laggard states, is now going to scale newer heights, Modi said.
The country has come out of a mindset of slavery and the new India is marching ahead with pride, he said.
His government will provide 75 lakh new gas connections to women in the country so that every household has cooking gas, the prime minister said.
“Projects of Rs 50,000 crore are being set up in Madhya Pradesh, which will give an impetus to the state’s development,” he said.
Underlining the importance of `Atmanirbhar Bharat’, the prime minister underlined the need to reduce imports and pointed out that India is dependent on foreign countries for petrol, diesel and other petrochemical products.
The petrochemical complex at Bina Refinery will be a step forward in the direction of making the country self-reliant, he said.
“The petrochemical complex….will spur growth in the entire region and take development to new heights,” Modi said, adding that not only it will give rise to new industries, but also benefit small farmers and entrepreneurs and create thousands of opportunities for the youth.
His government has eliminated middlemen in government schemes, he said, citing the example of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi under which eligible farmers get Rs 28,000 directly in their bank accounts. The government has spent more than Rs 2,60,000 crore on this scheme, he noted.
It has also made efforts to reduce the input costs of farmers and provide cheap fertilizers, spending more than Rs 10 lakh crore in nine years, Modi said.
A bag of urea which costs farmers in the United States up to Rs 3,000 is available for less than Rs 300 for Indian farmers, he said.
“Who knows the importance of irrigation better than Bundelkhand,” the PM said as he highlighted irrigation projects carried out in the region by the “double-engine government.”
The Ken-Betwa river link will benefit the region, Modi said.
Tap (piped) water was supplied to some ten crore new families in the country in just four years, while 65 lakh families received piped water for the first time in Madhya Pradesh alone, he said.
“In Bundelkhand, work is also being done on a large scale on creating water sources under the Atal GroundWater Scheme,” Modi said.
The 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavati, a tribal ruler who attained martyrdom while fighting the Mughals, will be celebrated in a grand manner on October 5, he said.
Governor Mangubhai Patel, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri were present at the function.
Starting with his visit to the state on September 17 last year when he released translocated Namibian cheetahs in the Kuno National Park, this was Modi’s eighth visit to Madhya Pradesh in the last one year.
The Congress meanwhile, hit back at the Prime Minister after he dubbed the INDIA bloc parties as “ghamandia”, accusing him of using a government function to abuse the opposition.
“The PM is back to doing what he does best—insult. He repeated his abuse of INDIA parties as so-called Ghamandia parties,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X.
“Look, who’s talking! The man who uses the occasion of a government function to abuse the Opposition. Stooping to his level, one could easily say he heads the GA-NDA coalition—Gautam Adani’s NDA,” the Congress leader alleged.
The Congress has been attacking the BJP over the Adani issue and accusing the Prime Minister of not initiating a probe against the Adani Group after allegations of irregularities and stock price manipulation cropped up in the wake of a US research report, a charge denied by the Adani group. (PTI)
