Modi's 'mazboot' govt replaced 'majboor' UPA: Nadda

BJP president JP Nadda on Sunday credited his party with providing a ''mazboot'' (strong) government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which was capable of penetrating Pakistan's borders to destroy terrorist hideouts.

In contrast, the former Union minister charged, the Congress-led UPA government that got voted out in 2014 was ''majboor, kamzor aur apang'' (helpless, weak and crippled).

Addressing back-to-back election rallies in Bihar's Nalanda, Arrah and Jehanabad constituencies, Nadda mocked the UPA for having sent ''dossiers to Pakistan when the nation was rattled by terrorist attacks sponsored from across the border''.

''When Modi took over, and Uri and Pulwama happened, our troops penetrated Pakistan's borders to conduct surgical strikes and Balakot air strikes and beat the terrorists inside their homes,'' he said.

He praised the government for scrapping Article 370, claiming it ''liberated the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who had been held hostage by a handful of political families for years''.

''In the ongoing elections, Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a record turnout. The enthusiasm among voters is a testimony to the liberating effect of abrogation of Article 370,'' Nadda claimed.

Training his guns at the RJD, a Congress ally that is also the BJP's principal challenger in Bihar, he said it stood for ''rishwatkhori'' (corruption), was ''rashtra virodhi'' (anti-national), promoted ''jungle raj'' (lawlessness) whenever in power, and was comparable to ''dal dal'' (marshland).

He alleged that in the 15 years that RJD president Lalu Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi ruled Bihar, ''they did not build roads out of fear that this will enable the police to move quickly and catch criminals patronised by their party''.

Underscoring the improvements in living standards of people with Modi at the helm, Nadda said that almost every household now has electricity.

''A giant leap from the situation 10 years ago when 2.5 crore had no access to power and only 18,000 villages were electrified,'' he said.

''Ten years ago, almost every handset owned by Indians used to be made in China, Taiwan, Japan or Korea. Today, most of your mobile phones are made in India. We are manufacturing 97 per cent of the mobile phones we use. This is an example of the positive changes,'' he added.

Nadda claimed that leaders Rahul Gandhi, Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav look down upon the common people as illiterates who had nothing to do with the emerging digital economy.

''But Modi realised the potential and today even a vegetable seller accepts money through digital mode,'' he said.

Highlighting the welfare measures of the Modi government, he said, ''Today, every panchayat has 40-50 houses built under the PM Awas Yojana. A jump since the previous regime when in every panchayat the average was only two houses. Nearly 4 crore people have got pucca houses under the scheme.'' Speaking about the free ration scheme, he said it has benefited ''altogether 80 crore people, out of whom 8.70 crore are in Bihar. During Modi's tenure, 25 crore people have also been pulled out of the clutches of poverty''.

Nadda said that Modi has not just ruled the country, but has brought a fundamental change in its political culture.

''The common people, who had become used to a state of indifference, are now resolutely with Modi to take forward the pledge of 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India),'' he said.

Nadda claimed that in the six phases of elections that have been completed, the NDA was ahead in enough number of seats to be well past the majority mark and ''we are on course to achieving the target of 400-plus seats''.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)