LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chose the birth anniversary of Sant Ravidas to tear into the previous Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, accusing it of hating the 15th century mystic poet-saint who stood for caste-less values. He also lashed out at the SP, terming it “dangawadi” which tried to divide people on caste lines.
“Sant Ravi Das se unko (SP) kitni chidh rahi hai ye log jaante hain (People know how much they hated Sant Ravidas),” Modi said, while addressing an election rally in Sitapur, tossing up the Dalit versus Yadav narrative ahead of the third phase of polling in the UP elections.
On the other hand, the PM said, the BJP government took inspirations from Sant Ravidas by putting Dalit and downtrodden at the center of various welfare schemes and working on the mantra of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwas” — the trademark tag line that the saffron outfit has been whipping up to consolidate the backward classes and Dalits.
Modi’s observation came on a day when top politicians cutting across party lines visited Sant Ravidas temple in Varanasi. He said that it was a matter of “great pride” for him to have beautified the temple of the saint situated in his parliamentary constituency. “Dashakon se unke mandir ke uddhar ki maang ho rahi thi. Par chunav aate hi langar, chakhna aur photo khichwake ye log bhaag jaate they…,” Modi said, with a portrait of Saint Ravidas hanging in the background on the dais.
The PM said that the ideals of Ravidas inspired the BJP government to provide free foodgrains to the poor twice a month amid a raging pandemic which has already spanned for the past two years. Modi categorically pointed out that under PM Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana, out of 15 crore beneficiaries, nine crores were from the backward community and 3 crore Dalits. Similarly, the provision of free vaccination was provided to all the poor without bothering about government coffers.
“Gareeb jaanta hai ki kaun sankat ke samay saath tha aur kaun sankat ke samay lapata ho gaya tha… (Poor know who stood with him during the crisis),” Modi said. Asserting that the BJP always remained concerned about the poor, the PM flagged the Ayushman Bharat as an important scheme for taking care of the financial problems of the poor during medical emergencies.
He also mentioned the Ujjawala Yojana of giving free LPG connection to the BPL families, saying how it has saved crores of women from life-threatening smoke-inducing ‘chulhas’.
Calling himself “gareeb ka beta”, Modi said that only he could have understood the pain of poor women who remained deprived of toilets and LPG even after 70 years of independence. “Our government gave crores of toilets and free gas connections in UP alone,” he said.
The PM credited Maharajganj MP and minister of state for finance, Pankaj Chaudhary for “scripting” the Union budget which, he said, has been largely appreciated from all quarters. The six-time MP happens to be a Kurmi, a backward sub-caste which the BJP seeks to consolidate in the Central UP region.
Affirming that the BJP government was committed to provide security, Modi said that under the `rule of mafias’, poor did not get justice. “People cannot forget how crime was at its peak during the previous SP government,” he said, insisting that hardly any festival passed off in UP without a curfew. “People of UP are saying that those who brought rule of law will come to power once again,” he said.
Reaching out to farmers, Modi lashed out at the previous Akhilesh Yadav regimes for unleashing “lathi-charge” at the gullible farmers who demanded payment of cane arrears and fertilizers. “The opposition parties have a track record of closing down sugar mills, while the Yogi Adityanath government initiated measures for setting new mills,” he said.
“Sant Ravi Das se unko (SP) kitni chidh rahi hai ye log jaante hain (People know how much they hated Sant Ravidas),” Modi said, while addressing an election rally in Sitapur, tossing up the Dalit versus Yadav narrative ahead of the third phase of polling in the UP elections.
On the other hand, the PM said, the BJP government took inspirations from Sant Ravidas by putting Dalit and downtrodden at the center of various welfare schemes and working on the mantra of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwas” — the trademark tag line that the saffron outfit has been whipping up to consolidate the backward classes and Dalits.
Modi’s observation came on a day when top politicians cutting across party lines visited Sant Ravidas temple in Varanasi. He said that it was a matter of “great pride” for him to have beautified the temple of the saint situated in his parliamentary constituency. “Dashakon se unke mandir ke uddhar ki maang ho rahi thi. Par chunav aate hi langar, chakhna aur photo khichwake ye log bhaag jaate they…,” Modi said, with a portrait of Saint Ravidas hanging in the background on the dais.
The PM said that the ideals of Ravidas inspired the BJP government to provide free foodgrains to the poor twice a month amid a raging pandemic which has already spanned for the past two years. Modi categorically pointed out that under PM Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana, out of 15 crore beneficiaries, nine crores were from the backward community and 3 crore Dalits. Similarly, the provision of free vaccination was provided to all the poor without bothering about government coffers.
“Gareeb jaanta hai ki kaun sankat ke samay saath tha aur kaun sankat ke samay lapata ho gaya tha… (Poor know who stood with him during the crisis),” Modi said. Asserting that the BJP always remained concerned about the poor, the PM flagged the Ayushman Bharat as an important scheme for taking care of the financial problems of the poor during medical emergencies.
He also mentioned the Ujjawala Yojana of giving free LPG connection to the BPL families, saying how it has saved crores of women from life-threatening smoke-inducing ‘chulhas’.
Calling himself “gareeb ka beta”, Modi said that only he could have understood the pain of poor women who remained deprived of toilets and LPG even after 70 years of independence. “Our government gave crores of toilets and free gas connections in UP alone,” he said.
The PM credited Maharajganj MP and minister of state for finance, Pankaj Chaudhary for “scripting” the Union budget which, he said, has been largely appreciated from all quarters. The six-time MP happens to be a Kurmi, a backward sub-caste which the BJP seeks to consolidate in the Central UP region.
Affirming that the BJP government was committed to provide security, Modi said that under the `rule of mafias’, poor did not get justice. “People cannot forget how crime was at its peak during the previous SP government,” he said, insisting that hardly any festival passed off in UP without a curfew. “People of UP are saying that those who brought rule of law will come to power once again,” he said.
Reaching out to farmers, Modi lashed out at the previous Akhilesh Yadav regimes for unleashing “lathi-charge” at the gullible farmers who demanded payment of cane arrears and fertilizers. “The opposition parties have a track record of closing down sugar mills, while the Yogi Adityanath government initiated measures for setting new mills,” he said.
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