Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the Congress once again for its governance record, stating that despite being in power for 60 years, they failed to provide farmers with basic necessities like water for irrigation, while other nations moved forward towards development and prosperity.
Addressing a mega public meeting at Madha in the Solapur Lok Sabha constituency of Maharashtra, PM Modi gunned for the Congress, saying, “The country gave the Congress a chance to rule the country for 60 years. Over the course of these six decades, many countries made rapid transitions towards development and prosperity while we lagged on several fronts. The Congress could not even provide water to our farmers to irrigate their fields. When I took office in 2014, there were about 100 irrigation projects that had been stuck in red tape for decades. Of these, 26 projects were for Maharashtra. Just imagine the extent to which Congress betrayed Maharashtra.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar for his time as Union Agriculture Minister during the Congress-led UPA government from 2004 to 2014, highlighting that the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane has risen during that period.
“When the remote-controlled government (a dig at Congress-led UPA government under then PM Manmohan Singh) was in power 10 years ago, a powerful leader of Maharashtra (Sharad Pawar) used to be the Agriculture minister. When powerful leaders from here ruled from Delhi, the FRP of sugarcane was around Rs 200 per quintal and today, under Modi’s term, the FRP has increased to Rs 350 per quintal,” he said.
In February, the central cabinet sanctioned the ‘Fair and Remunerative Price’ (FRP) for sugarcane to be paid by sugar factories for the 2024-25 season (October-September). Following this approval, sugar mills are obligated to pay sugarcane growers Rs 340/quintal as FRP based on a recovery rate of 10.25 percent. Prime Minister Modi accused the previous Congress administrations in Maharashtra of embezzling funds intended for the state’s farmers.
“In the previous years, the Congress (governments) gobbled up whatever little funds were allocated by the central government for the farmers here. However, it is your son now who sits in Delhi. We will ensure that every penny that comes from Delhi goes directly into your account,” PM Modi said.
Underscoring the role have to play towards building a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India), PM Modi said, “Your Modi has left no stone unturned to empower women. Thousands of women have joined Self Help Groups in the past 10 years. Women are contributing increasingly to the ongoing development of villages. We have made 1 crore women Lakhpati Didis. The country will soon have 3 crore Lakhpati Didis and this is my guarantee!” he said.
Polling for 11 seats in Maharashtra will be held in the third phase on May 7. Of the 48 seats in the state, voting in 13 was conducted across the first and second phases.
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