The Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Madhya Pradesh will go to the polls on November 28, the Election Commission (EC) announced Saturday.
Claiming that the Congress did nothing for the tribal population, BJP president Amit Shah said in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh Saturday that his party had ensured that government funds reached the tribals and forest-dwellers.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Madhya Pradesh will go to the polls on November 28, the Election Commission (EC) announced Saturday. Addressing a rally at Jhabua in the state, Shah observed that under Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's government, people of this area could now afford motorcycles. "The Congress will come, Rahul baba (Rahul Gandhi) will come. They will talk about everything, but development. They will talk about caste, religion. But whenever they come to power, they take money meant for the forest-dwellers to their own homes...The BJP ensures that the money meant for them reaches their (forest-dwellers') homes," Shah said.
The Congress ruled Madhya Pradesh for 55 years, but development did not reach Jhabua, he added.
"After getting off the helicopter, I was surprised to see that during Shivraj Singh Chouhan's tenure, people are riding motorcycles," Shah said. People in large numbers using two-wheelers meant that Chouhan had brought enough prosperity to the district, he added. "(During the Congress rule) There was not even a tribal ministry. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee became prime minister, the Adivasi Kalyan Mantralaya was formed for the first time," the BJP president said.
He attributed the saffron party's victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls to support from tribals and forest-dwellers and added that in his first speech after becoming prime minister, Narendra Modi had made it clear that his government was for the poor, Dalits, tribals and forest-dwellers. "I want to ask (state Congress chief) Kamal Nath and company, how much money was allocated for tribals in their (Congress governments') budgets? In all the BJP-ruled states, we have abided by the Constitution and increased the allocation for tribals, with the largest allocation for Madhya Pradesh," Shah said.
Farmers given Rs 2.11 lakh crore since 2014
BJP president Amit Shah Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has given Rs 2,11,000 crore to farmers since 2014 and it was working with a resolve to double farmers' income. He was addressing a gathering in Jaora, which despite being in Ratlam district, is close to Mandsaur town where six farmers were killed in police firing in June last year.
"In his address after forming the government in 2014, the prime minister had said that the poor and farmers are close to his heart. With this theme in mind, his government has done many works for them. It has also constituted a chief ministers committee for the purpose and Madhya Pradesh chief minister is its chairman," Shah said while addressing a farmers meet here.
Shah said, "The Modi government has allocated Rs 2,11,000 crore for farmers' welfare during 2014- 2019 (including the 2018-19 Budget)." Taking a jibe at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for raising farmers' issues, Shah asked, "What did the UPA government do when it was in power?" After the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power, maximum agriculture production has taken place, Shah said, adding that now it was not middlemen who were purchasing farm produce. Shah claimed that the Modi government had doubled the minimum support price (MSP) of Rabi and Kharif crops in the country. Praising MP CM Chouhan, Shah said the latter is the son of a farmer and therefore knew their pain and listens to their problems.
"Those who have never touched soil are talking about farmers," he said, in an apparent swipe at Gandhi. Shah also said that all round development took place, including laying of a strong road network and improvement in financial condition of farmers, in MP under Chouhan. Chouhan, while addressing the gathering, said the government had put Rs 32,701 crore into the account of farmers to mitigate their problems. Earlier, police arrested activists, allegedly of Karni Sena and Mahavir Sena, for protesting against amendments in SC/ST Act as well as reservations. Similar arrests were also made in Ujjain and Indore during Shah's visit. The BJP president also addressed a workers' convention and prayed at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain.
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