Bhubaneswar: Union home minister and senior BJP leader Admit Shah showerd praises on prime minister Narendra Modi, criticised Congress, but remained silent about BJD and Naveen Patnaik while addressing the Janasambad virtual rally for Odisha from Delhi on Monday.

Saha said Modi government has benefitted 60 crore poor people in the country during the six years rule. He rolled out the details about the Modi government’s welfare programmes like PM Kishan Yojana, Ayusman Bharat, Jandhan Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Soubhagya Yojana and Swachhabharat Yojana. He referred to Rs 1.70 lakh crore PM Garib Kalyan Yojana and Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package.

Shah scathingly attacked the Congress and said that the Congress had neglected the nation during its 70 years rule. He said while prime minister Modi was fighting against Coronavirus pandemic, Congreess’ past president Rahul Gandhi was interacting with people sitting abroad. He said the BJP workers all over the country had provided food to over 12 crore migrant workers who were in distress due to nationwide lockdown. What the Congress was doing when the distressed workers were on the street, he questioned.

Drawing a comparison of farmers welfare programmes of Congress and the BJP governments, Shah said Congress had given an one time relief of farm loan waiver of Rs 60,000 crore benefiting 3.5 crore farmers, while Modi government’s PM Kisan Yojana has benefitted 9.5 crore farmers with the transfer of Rs 72,000 crore.

Shah said Congress had neglected Odisha during the 70 years of its rule. He challenged the Congress for a debate on 70 years Congress rule and 6 years of Modi government. The State had received Rs 79,000 crore from the Centre during Congress rule while under the Modi’s 6 year rule the State had received Rs 5.52 lakh crore

The union home minister praised all the States including Odisha for doing good job in fighting the pandemic. “All the State governments have done well”, he said while praising Odisha governments handling of the migrant workers.

Shah said both the States and the Centre are working with mutual cooperation at this crisis time. Stating that prime minister Modi had four meetings with the State chief ministers during the lockdown period, he said that the suggestions given by the governments of Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala have been accepted by the prime minister.

Shah expressed his gratitude to the voters of Odisha for giving BJP the honour of becoming the main opposition party in the State assembly and sending 8 MPs to Lok Sabha. He, however, called upon the party workers and leaders to make Odisha a fort of BJP in coming years.

Union petroleum and steel minister Dharmendra Pradhan, union MSME minister Pratap Sarangi, BJP’s Odisha prabhari Arun Singh and BJP State president Sameer Mohanty were present. Vice president Pruthiviraj Harichandan conducted the Janasambad programme in Odisha.

BJP will organise 75 virtual rally all over the country. BJP’s senior leaders like Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh will address these rallies. Saha had launched the programme addressing a rally for Bihar. The virtual rally, in fact, the brain child of BJP’s national president JP Nadda.