Opposition spreading rumours about shortages due to Iran war, says PM Narendra Modi
AlPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday vowed to serve the people of India till his last breath and accused the Opposition of spreading rumours about fertiliser and cooking gas shortages following the war in West Asia to defame him, the comments coming against the backdrop of planned protests in the Capital.
Addressing a gathering in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district, Modi said tensions in the Gulf were still ongoing, but asserted that the government did not let the burden of increased fertiliser prices fall on farmers. He said everyone was working toward making India a developed nation.
“But some people do not like this. These are the people who want to see the country in crisis. They feel happy when they see the country in crisis,” said Modi, who is on a two-day visit to his home state.
On the occasion, the PM also released the 24th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme, which provides ₹6,000 per year in income support to eligible farmers.
“Jeevan ke antim kshan tak janta ki seva main hi juta rahunga (I will continue to serve the people until my last breath),” Modi declared.
The comments came days after a row erupted over Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks against Modi at a rally in Patna last Sunday. When interrupted by a member of the audience, who screamed: “Modi won’t go anywhere”, Kharge shot back, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega, baap bhi jayega (Even Modi’s father will go).”
Many in the crowd on Friday carried placards bearing the slogan, “Jab tak Bharat viksit nahi hoga, Modi kahin nahi jayega” (Modi will not go anywhere until India is developed).
Without naming anyone, Modi hit out at his opponents, saying some people were spreading rumours and creating panic among people. “They sowed fear among farmers, claiming fertilisers would become unavailable. They created artificial queues and created a sense of panic,” he said.
“They also tried to frighten women, claiming that cooking gas would no longer be available and asking, ‘How will you cook your meals? How will your children go to school?’ Their plan was to incite chaos across the country, all in an attempt to defame Modi,” he told the gathering.
“I had promised that Modi would stand firmly by your side. And look -- even though the conflict continues, Modi has ensured that there is no shortage of fertilisers for our farmers,” the PM emphasised.
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He said one bag of urea costs ₹3,000 in the international market, but Indian farmers get it for less than one-tenth of that price or under ₹300 per bag. Modi said the international price of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) was ₹5,000 per bag, but Indian farmers continued to get it at ₹1,350.
He said the government was bearing the additional cost burden so that farmers could lead better and more prosperous lives.
“In recent years, thanks to our government’s policies, farmers have received or saved more than ₹50 lakh crore,” he said. Modi said that honey production doubled in the last 12 years and referred to a woman who sold honey worth ₹35 lakh.
Modi recalled taking his first oath of office as the Gujarat chief minister in October 2001 and completing 25 years in public life.
“But it feels like just yesterday when I first took the oath of office in October 2001, you showered me with a lot of love…when people of Gujarat call me ‘our Narendrabhai,’ my chest fills with pride,” he said.
He spoke of his modest background, saying he knew nothing about government offices and files when he first took the oath. Modi credited the people of Gujarat for giving him the opportunity first to serve the state and then the country. “When people ask me about electricity schemes and water schemes, I tell them that this is what I have learnt from you and implemented. I will continue serving people until my last breath.”
He recalled that 25 years ago, when he visited areas and spoke about using water and electricity judiciously, some people would protest. “Those issues are now in memory,” he said. “Today you all agree with me. Today the potatoes of Banaskantha are famous in the world.”
Modi credited government initiatives and said the average daily milk yield had risen. “More than 1.5 billion doses of vaccination have been administered against cattle diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, covering over 80 million farmers,” he said. He stressed that farmers should be able to earn from cow dung through biogas and bio-CNG.
On fisheries, he said India’s seafood production had more than doubled. On agriculture, he accused previous governments of deception in the name of the Minimum Support Price (MSP). “But our government has fulfilled its promise on MSP. Over the past 12 years, wheat and paddy farmers have received ₹24 lakh crore through MSP,” he said.
He added that farmers received more than ₹2 lakh crore in compensation over the past 10-12 years under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. He said 1.2 million solar pumps were handed over to farmers, reducing the need for diesel. “In the absence of these pumps, farmers would have had to buy an estimated 80 crore litres of diesel,” he said.
He said more than 260 million soil health cards were issued and nearly 3,000 new varieties of seeds provided to meet the challenge of climate change. “Agriculture is our culture,” he said. “Over the past 12 years, our government has extensively integrated science and technology into agriculture. We have brought scientific advancements into farming as well as animal husbandry. The Soil Health Card is an excellent example of this initiative.”
Modi said the aim was that the milk currently obtained from four cows should eventually come from a single cow.
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Modi inaugurated a 127-acre Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre at Bhildi. It is the country’s first Centre of Excellence for the indigenous Kankrej cattle breed. Other projects included metro extensions, road widening and Anganwadi centres.
Modi said that National Unity Day (Ekta Parv), earlier celebrated in the morning on October 31, will henceforth be observed in the evening. “It will remind you of the January 26 parade,” he said.
Modi is scheduled to travel to attend programmes linked to Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on October 31, marking the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
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