Forest minister Prakash Javadekar ridicules P. Chidambaram’s remark

Speaking to media persons while planting the first sapling at Isha Project Green Hands, he said that Chidambaram’s desperation is evident from his statement that the NDA government is aping the schemes of UPA.

But, as a matter of fact, people hardly knew of UPA schemes and there was very little participation. On the contrary, the NDA’s schemes aim at empowering people by enabling them to open bank accounts and providing insurance to the people.

Drawing a comparison, the minister said that while Modi’s government aims at providing employment, Congress’s motto was unemployment.

He said that Chidambaram had vehemently opposed the creation of industries on the highways as part of the industrial corridor.

On the raging 2G scam controversy which has been brought further to light by Pradip Baijal, former TRAI chairman, in his book that former prime minister, Manmohan Singh had told him to ‘work in design’ with all the requirements of Maran, Javadekar said both Congress and Singh owed explanations on the issue. “The revelation makes it clear that it was a coalition in corruption,” he pointed out.

The biggest achievement of the Modi government was the hope that was created among the people by giving them social security and relief from price rise which was the order of the day in the last 10 years, he said.

The NDA government has taken up the arduous task of converting the UPA scams into commercial success stories for the people, such as getting over Rs 1.09 lakh crore by auctioning spectrum in a transparent way and allocating 27 coal blocks by which the states have benefited.

The government is coming out with a new scheme in June for improving the skills of the youth, by which lakhs of job opportunities will be created, he said. On the Land Acquisition Bill, he said farmers were very happy and it is not as it is being made out by the Congress. The government is giving comprehensive compensation and 10 per cent increase in the price, he said.

On the proposed construction of a dam across Mekedatu by the Karnataka government, he said that central government will protect the interest of Tamil Nadu and will not do anything against the state’s interest.