Lucknow: Targeting the Congress, BJP president J P Nadda on Sunday said those who spared no effort in doing injustice to society are now thinking about holding a ‘nyay yatra’.
Addressing a public gathering here, Nadda also hit out at the opposition INDIA bloc, saying it is bent on dragging the country down while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking it forward.
Nadda was here to participate in the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’, which aims to spread the word about the central government’s flagship schemes ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He also flagged off a half-marathon for women.
“Those people who spared no effort to break India over the last so many years had set out on Bharat Jodo Yatra. Those people who spared no effort in doing injustice to society are thinking about holding a ‘nyay yatra’ these days.
“Those people who never thought of anyone outside their family are talking about the country today,” the BJP chief said.
Last week, the Congress announced it will hold from January 14 a ‘Bharat Nyay Yatra’ led by Rahul Gandhi from Manipur to Mumbai, passing through 14 states. The exercise is being seen as the party’s attempt to rally support ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Targeting the INDIA bloc, which also includes the Congress, Nadda said the opposition coalition is working to stop the country’s growth.
“On one side, we have Modi ji who is taking the country forward and on the other side, we have the INDI Alliance that is bent on stopping the country (from growing). They are competing to drag the country down and we are competing to take India forward under the leadership of Modi ji,” he said.
Praising the development work of the double-engine government of the Centre and the state, the BJP president said, “When Modi ji and Yogi (Adityanath) ji talk, they talk about how India should move forward.”
But when Akhilesh (Yadav) talks, when Rahul (Gandhi) talks, they only talk about their families, he said.
“Prime Minister Modi empowered the youth of the country through many schemes like ‘Startup India’, ‘Khelo India’ and ‘Fit India’. This year, India gave its best performance in the Asian Games and won the maximum number of medals,” he said.
“Modi ji has said he considers only four castes and these are women, farmers, youths and the poor. If we strengthen these four castes, then the dream of a developed India will come true,” he added.
The BJP chief also praised his party’s government in Uttar Pradesh for taking the state forward.
“There was a time when Uttar Pradesh was known as a state of goons. It was difficult for women to come out of homes during night. At that time, Uttar Pradesh was a backward state. Today, with the blessings of Modi ji and the hard work of Yogi ji, Uttar Pradesh is moving forward at a fast pace,” he said.
Later, Nadda also addressed the Sankalp Yatra in the state capital.
“The objective of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is that no beneficiary should be left out. The benefits of the welfare schemes of the Central government should reach the people. Therefore, the government is reaching out to every person to make them aware of the schemes,” he said.
He also said if ‘ujaala’ (light) has to be understood, then first ‘andhera’ (darkness) should be identified.
Recalling the days when he was MLA, Nadda said, “In 1993, I had won the election in my region. At that time, the BDO used to come to my office and would say: ‘Nadda sahab, this time you are getting two houses under Indira Awas Yojana in one panchayat. Tell me whom should I give?’ I would say, brother I leave it to you. And today, I can say with pride that Prime Minister Modi ji has given four crore houses under the PM Awas Yojana. This is the difference between light and darkness.”
Then he gave another example of an elderly woman of a village who lost her hair as she had to walk three kilometres with earthen pots on her head to bring water. “Today, under the Jal Jeevan Mission, every household is getting tap water,” he said.
“The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is saying that in India, 13.50 crore people have moved above the poverty line,” he said.
Earlier, Nadda was welcomed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior BJP leaders upon his arrival here.
In a post in Hindi on X, Adityanath said, “Hearty welcome and congratulations to the honourable national president of @BJP4India Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda ji in the new land of investment and innovation ‘New Uttar Pradesh’!”
Nadda and Adityanath, along with other party leaders, later listened to Modi’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio broadcast.
In the 108th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the prime minister said the country is imbued with the spirit of ‘Viksit Bharat’ and self-reliance, and asserted that this spirit and momentum has to be maintained in 2024 as well.
Modi also emphasised physical and mental health and highlighted several unique efforts for ‘Fit India’.