Development only way to empower the poor, says Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the development theme at a massive rally in Saharanpur in western Uttar Pradesh in the simultaneous launch of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s election campaign and its second anniversary in power. He said the the government was caste- and religion-neutral. "India is changing but some mindsets do not want to change," he said, in a veiled attack on the Congress.

Modi said only development could show the way in this country; it is the only way to empower the poor. "It pains me ...when I see that several villages in the country have not yet got electricity, almost 70 years after Independence," he said, saying the retirement age of doctors would be increased to 65 years to ensure people get the advantage of quality-medical treatment. This demand was voiced by a professional body of doctors when it met the PM a few days ago.

The PM spoke about financial inclusion. He said it was his government that had freed people from the clutches of money lenders, had ensured money went straight into bank accounts and had brought banking to the door of even the most poor through the Jan Dhan Yojana. "Our schemes are aimed at empowering the poor to fight poverty," he said.

Modi said the policies of his government were for all castes and religions. "I have launched the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme. Does it serve any caste or religion? No, it covers all girls, helps to empower all girls" he said.

But, he said, it had become fashionable to connect everything to caste or religion.

Modi said he was keen to ensure states had more funds. Earlier states used to get 35 per cent of total funds, now they get 65 per cent of all central funds. "I have empowered states in a way that was never done in the past" he said, referring to the award of the 14th Finance Commission. He attacked the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government over the many scams that surfaced in its tenure and said, "Two years ago, corruption and loot were all over the news. Were those people in power sent to loot the public? Don't know where the last government spent its money."

His work, the prime minister said, was minutely scrutinised. "If my government does something wrong, it runs on TV for 24 hours. I welcome this close scrutiny of my work. The government should be held accountable for every day, every penny."