New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday asserted that it stood for the credibility of promises made to people under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, contrasting it with what it termed the Congress’s “crisis of credibility.” BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi stated that the ruling party had progressively expanded the scope of its welfare schemes, covering areas from health insurance to free grains and cash transfers for farmers. He emphasized that the BJP believes in creating wealth before distributing it as the Indian economy grows, while accusing the Congress of “creating corruption and destroying wealth,” citing alleged unfulfilled promises by Congress-led governments in various states.
A day after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that “Modi ki guarantee” was a cruel joke on people, following his advice to Congress colleagues to consider budget constraints in poll promises, the BJP responded with fresh criticism. Trivedi mockingly questioned Kharge’s consistency, asking if he was truthful on Friday or the day before, implying that Kharge’s criticism was motivated by pressure to cover up his earlier statements.
Trivedi highlighted various achievements of the Modi government to support his claims, including the construction of the Ram temple, the abrogation of Article 370, the building of over 14 crore houses for the poor, the opening of more than 51 crore Jan Dhan accounts, and India’s strong stance against Pakistan on terrorism. He suggested that as a senior Congress leader, Kharge would have seen effective leadership in the past, like that of PV Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee, but that the current Congress was under the influence of “urban Naxals” due to Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.
Refuting Kharge’s criticisms, Trivedi pointed to EPFO data showing a rise in account holders to 25 crore from 11 crore a decade ago. He also cited infrastructure developments, including housing, the construction of 74 airports, and the expansion of 37 kilometers of road per day, which he claimed had generated significant employment. Noting that India ranks third in auto manufacturing and second in mobile phone production globally, Trivedi remarked that anyone failing to see the country’s progress must have a serious “weakness in sight and mindset.” He added that while BJP-led Karnataka led in attracting investments, Maharashtra had slipped under Congress-led rule, only to recover once the BJP came to power.
