BAHRAICH (UP), Dec 11:
As Parliament remained deadlocked over demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today came down heavily on opposition parties describing them as “discarded” by the electorate and accused them of trying to “suppress” the truth.
“Parliament is not being allowed to function for 20 days. We are ready for debate (on demonetisation), but we are not being allowed to present our viewpoint by those very parties that have been discarded by the electorate,” he said even as the Winter Session is left with three more working days.
Modi said these parties never wanted to tread the path of honesty “but we will definitely win this fight against corruption”.
He was addressing BJP’s Parivartan Yatra here through mobile phone from Lucknow after the IAF chopper carrying him failed to land due to poor visibility in Bahraich, which is close to Terai region of Nepal.
“They (opposition) come to the Well of the House… Throw paper at the Speaker. We want to put forth Government’s viewpoint… But they are not allowing us to do so. In a way they are trying to suppress the truth,” Modi rued.
On demonetisation, he said, “You must have seen that the Government is after people who have stashed black money. The Government is committed to empowering the poor. People are also taking pain to ensure that the country moves on the path of development.”
The Prime Minister said senior bank officials have been nabbed during the crackdown against black money and added his Government is “of the poor and for the poor and whosoever troubles the poor will not be spared.”
Attacking rival Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Modi said both the parties are talking in similar refrain.
As Parliament remained bogged in pandemonium with uproar over demonetisation becoming the order of the day, the Prime Minister alleged SP and BSP were facing hardship because of note ban.
“People of Uttar Pradesh know this very well, I need not elaborate,” he said.
Referring to people standing in queues outside banks and ATMs, Modi sarcastically said their problem was different from the “hardships” faced by the corrupt and the dishonest.
“I am confident that we will emerge victorious in our fight to help the honest,” he said.
Modi said only BJP can fulfil aspirations of the people of Uttar Pradesh and appealed to the electorate in Awadh region to vote for the party in the upcoming Assembly polls.
“For Uttar Pradesh to progress, poverty and goondaraj need to be removed,” he said.
“Police are helping those indulging in hooliganism. We have to crush those patronising ‘goondagardi’ (hooliganism). BJP will fulfil aspirations of the people of the State,” he said.
Asking people to learn to use mobile banking, Modi said, “I am addressing you through mobile. You can turn your mobile into your bank. You have to slowly learn it.”
Asserting that he had very fond memories of his visit to Bahraich and would love to travel to the place again, the Prime Minister said, “I could not come to you physically, but I have made it through mobile phone.”
His chopper hovered over the helipad for nearly 30 minutes. As the Air Traffic Control did not permit it to land, it was decided that he would fly back to Lucknow enroute to Delhi.
Later, the Prime Minister tweeted regretting his inability “to be with the people” at the rally.
“Due to poor weather conditions, I couldn’t reach the venue of the Bahraich rally but I did share a few words via phone. I thank all those who joined the Bahraich rally in this weather & regret my inability to be with the people,” he said in two separate tweets.
This was BJP’s fifth Parivartan Yatra rally to be addressed by the Prime Minister in the State. He had earlier addressed rallies at Ghazipur, Agra, Kushinagar and Moradabad. His next rally is scheduled to be held in Kanpur on December 19.
State BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya said, “Prime Minister Narendra will try to come again to Bahraich when his schedule and weather allow.”
Modi was the national general secretary of BJP when he visited Bahraich in 2001 for the first time, and later again in November 2013. (PTI)
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