PM gets emotional while handing over 15k pucca houses to labourers

Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday got emotional while handing over the keys to the beneficiaries of the PMAY (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna) -Urban in Maharashtra. He said that he went to see the houses and wished he had an opportunity to live in such a pucca house when he was a child. Mr. Modi also addressed a public rally in Solapur district, which has two Lok Sabha seats Solapur and Madha.

The Prime Minister urged the people to light Ram Jyoti on January 22, when the ‘pran pratishtha’ (consecration ceremony) of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will take place. However, Maharashtra Congress took a dig at the Prime Minister saying his frequent visits to the state are due to fear of the defeat in Lok Sabha.

In a ceremony organised at Kumbhari in Solapur district, the PM dedicated 90,000 houses built under PMAY-Urban in the state. He also handed over keys to houses in the ‘RAY Nagar Housing Society’ of 15,024 homes to the beneficiaries, comprising workers from unorganised sectors including thousands of handloom workers, vendors, power loom workers, rag pickers, Bidi workers, drivers,

Slamming the Congress party for merely giving the “Garibi Hatao” slogan, Mr. Modi said that slogans of eradicating poverty have continued in the country for a long time. However, these slogans did not help eradicate poverty from the country, he said.

“People used to eat half roti (bread) and say they would cast their vote in favor of the Congress. Why will you eat half the roti? Now there is Modi, you will eat the whole roti. This is the difference,” the Prime Minister said.

The PM said that the schemes were made in the name of the poor but the real and deserving people did not get the benefits of the scheme. “In previous governments, the middlemen used to loot the money meant for the poor. It means the intentions, policies, and priorities of the previous governments were doubtful. Our intention is good and our policy is to empower the poor. Our loyalty is towards the country. My loyalty is to make India a developed nation,” Mr. Modi said while addressing the people.

In his 40-minute speech, the Prime Minister tried to portray himself as a messiah of the poor. “Our path is the dignity of labours, our path is Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) workers, our path is welfare of the poor. And I want to tell you that those who are going to live in new houses should dream big. This is Modi's guarantee that your dreams will be fulfilled),” the Prime Minister said.

Mr. Modi also laid the foundation stone of eight ‘Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation’ (AMRUT) projects worth around Rs. 2,000 crores and began the distribution of the first and second instalments of ‘PM-SVANIDHI’ (PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi) to 10,000 beneficiaries in the state.

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is frequently coming to campaign in the state as the BJP has fear of defeat in Maharashtra. He also claimed that the housing scheme in Solapur for bidi workers was announced by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh under the UPA’s regime. “The Modi government took ten years to complete this scheme announced during the UPA government,” he said.