ODISHA: After the Directorate of Enforcement’s huge cash haul in Jharkhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that people are lauding the action taken by the central agency, some are criticising him for stopping corruption and loot. “Today, mountains of currency notes are being found in the neighbouring state Jharkhand. People are saying “chori ho gaya aur mal pakad raha Modi waha” (theft has taken place and Modi has seized the robbed goods). Now tell me, if I stop their theft, stop their earning, stop their loot, won’t they abuse Modi or not? Despite the abuses, shouldn’t I be doing this work. Shouldn’t I be saving your money,” the Prime Minister said while addressing a public rally in Odisha’s Nabarangpur today. ED earlier today uncovered over Rs 20 crore from the residence of a household help employed by Sanjiv Lal, the Personal Secretary to Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam during raids at multiple locations in Ranchi on Monday morning, PM Modi also hit out at the Biju Janata Dal (BJD)-led government in Odisha and alleged that the latter did not “allow” implementation of central government schemes in the state. He further said that those schemes that were implemented were “stamped by corruption.” “The people of Odisha have strength and passion, but I am saddened to see that the BJD government did not give you the right opportunities. The BJD government did not allow the schemes of Modi to be implemented. The schemes that were implemented were stamped with corruption by the BJD,” he said. The Prime Minister said that the Odisha government does not care about the interests of women, adding that the central government is providing financial help to every pregnant woman. “Today, the government in Odisha shows no concern for the welfare of women. The central government provides financial aid of 6,000 rupees to every pregnant woman, aiming to ensure essential nutrition for both the mother and child. It’s surprising to know that the Odisha government has not implemented this scheme here. Meanwhile, the BJP government is committed to women’s empowerment. The BJP’s ‘Subhadra Scheme’ in Odisha will financially empower women,” he said. “Also, the Van Dhan Kendra Yojana started, reservation benefits for SCs and STs were extended for the next 10 years, and most importantly, India got its first Adivasi Rashtrapati during the same period,” he added. He further asserted that the BJD-ruled state government could not spend money sent by the Centre properly. “The central government gave Rs 10,000 crore to Odisha for the Jal Jeevan Mission. The government here could not spend that money properly. Modi sends money to build roads in villages, but here the condition of roads in villages is bad. Modi sends money for free rice from Delhi, but the BJD government pastes its photo on this scheme and takes credit for that,” PM Modi said. “You have seen the track record of Modi’s ten years of leadership. During these ten years, Modi increased the budget for tribal welfare by 5 times what it was before. Also, during these ten years, the number of Eklavya Model Residential Schools in the tribal areas crossed 400.” “BJD has not been able to reduce your problems in 25 years. Give BJP a chance once, we will make Odisha number one in five years. BJP will solve all your problems. Your welfare is paramount for BJP,” the Prime Minister added.
