Rural road construction stalled under UPA, PM Modi took it forward: Himachal BJP chief

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], November 19 (ANI): BJP's Himachal Pradesh president Rajeev Bindal on Sunday took a potshot at the Congress party on governance and other issues of national importance.
Speaking at a Mahila Morcha event in the state's capital Shimla, Bindal alleged that the rural road construction scheme Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana started by former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had slowed down during the 2004-2014 UPA era, and it was during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure it again gathered steam.
"From 2004 to 2014, the plan was slowed down. But from 2014 to 2023, 50 per cent of the roads built in Himachal Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana were the contribution of the Bharatiya Janata Party," said Bindal.
Further, the state BJP chief said the party does exactly what it promises to its people.

"Today, BJP is giving 33 per cent reservation to women (in Lok Sabha) across the country. This could only be done by the BJP government and the strong willpower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

Targeting its political opponent Congress, which is ruling the state, the state president Rajiv Bindal equated the tenure of the Congress party from 2004 to 2014 to that of an era of corruption.
"During the UPA government, scams worth Rs 20 lakh crore took place in the country. When we used to open the newspaper, we saw news of scams in front of us. This tarnished India's image at the international level," he alleged.

But it was when PM Modi came to New Delhi that India was given more prominence at global stages.

"If Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes to Australia then its leader says 'Modi you are the boss', if he goes to America, then the President there says that 'Prime Minister Modi, you are the most popular leader of the world'."

Further, Bindal also praised the Modi government for removing Sections 370 and 35A from Jammu and Kashmir, and subsequent reduction in stone pelting and other insurgency and terrorism-related incidents.
"In Jammu and Kashmir, now tricolour is waving in every village and stone pelting has stopped. It is important to understand this is the difference of leadership," he added.

"Today, Ram Janmabhoomi is going to become a reality but we have to remember the day when all the Karsevaks went to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in 1990 and 1991, then it is this 'Indi alliance' that massacred thousands of Karsevaks and built Babri Masjid on Ram Janmabhoomi," he alleged.

He also praised the prime minister for providing direct support to farmers under PM-Kisan and ration to the people during the once-in-a-century pandemic that hit humanity in 2020.

"During the Covid period, the central government distributed free ration to 80 crore people and is likely do so for the next five years also. During the UPA government between 2004 and 2014, thousands of tonnes of food grains were thrown and wasted," he added. (ANI)