Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India has been able to evacuate its citizens from war-hit Ukraine because of its rising power and assured the country that his government will leave no stone unturned for the safe return of all Indians stranded there.
Addressing election rallies in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra and Ghazipur districts, Modi spoke of the government's rescue efforts in the wake of the Russian military offensive against Ukraine and also underlined the need for India to become self-reliant.
"The dynasts question our vaccine, they question our armed forces and make fun of 'Make in India'. Such people have shamed the country and its people. They can't make India strong," he said.
Asserting that the country has made it a priority to rescue all Indians stuck in Ukraine, Modi said, "It is due to India's rising strength that we are able to bring back stranded Indians from Ukraine. Operation Ganga has been launched and I have sent four ministers to oversee the evacuation.
"Our army and air force have also been deployed to rescue Indians in distress faster. Today I also assure the people of the country that the Government of India will leave no stone unturned for the safe return of its citizens.''
Modi also targeted his rivals, accusing them of ignoring the problems of the poor when in power.
Sonbhadra and Ghazipur will go to the polls in the last phase on March 7.
Modi said the previous governments of "dynasts" exploited the natural resources of the Sonbhadra region but never did anything for its development.
He told the gathering that if the "corrupt" become strong, they would again indulge in the loot of money sent by the Centre for the welfare of the poor.
"We have made a scheme to use the development of District Mineral Fund to ensure that a portion of the earnings from minerals of Sonbhadra is also used in the development of its people," he said and highlighted that Sonbhadra has been included in the list of aspirational districts. "
"Our government has also honoured great tribal leaders including Birsa Munda. Ten tribal museums are also being set up," Modi said.
Earlier the Minimum Support Price (MSP) used to be given on only eight to 10 forest products. "Our government is giving MSP on over 90 forest products. We have provided over 20 lakh plots of land to tribal families,"' Prime Minister Modi said.
Sonbhadra has two assembly constituencies reserved for STs.
"The BJP focuses on the development of small farmers. Over Rs 350 crore have been deposited in the bank account of over 2 lakh families in Sonbhadra district," the prime minister said.
Speaking at Ghazipur, Modi accused the opposition parties of turning a blind eye to the problems faced by women.
"The dynasts never realised the problems of women but our government gave them free gas connection. Over 2.5 lakh free gas connections under Ujjwala scheme have been given in Ghazipur alone," he said.
“The dynasts only focused on taking money from the poor. The dynasts stole ration and money meant for the poor,” he alleged.
On the other hand, "our government has done everything to spend the money for the development for the poor. In tough COVID-19 times during the last two years, we are providing free ration to 15 Crore people of Uttar Pradesh.
"The government is spending Rs 2.60 lakh crore on this scheme across the country. If the same work was to be done by the dynasts they would have stolen all the money and deprived the poor of food grains," he said.
Talking about COVID-19 vaccination, Modi said that the government is providing free vaccines. This has helped in the reopening of schools and businesses again.
The prime minister said that the world is surprised by the speed of the COVID-19 vaccination in the country.
"We have also focused on the development of small farmers. We have provided Ra 850 crore in accounts of 5 lakh marginal farmers of Ghazipur. The dynasts are looking to take away this money," said Modi.
Modi also mentioned Manoj Sinha, a native of Ghazipur who is presently Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, in his Ghazipur rally.
Talking about poverty in Purvanchal, Modi said, "Whenever I come to Ghazipur I remember former MP Vishwanath Singh Gahmari. When the government was led by Jawaharlal Nehru, Vishwanath Gahmari told parliament that people in Purvanchal are forced to remove wheat grains from cattle dung to eat due to poverty."
