PM's Adarsh Gram Yojana is for publicity, alleges Samajwadi Party

The Samajwadi Party on Saturday accused the media of creating hype surrounding the 'Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying such programmes were existent in Uttar Pradesh but had failed to get noticed.

"What is so new about this scheme? Just because the Prime Minister is launching it, the media is showing it. But such work has been going on in Uttar Pradesh and no one has said anything about it," said Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal.

"All I can say is that this is nothing new, it is all for show," he added.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -led government at the Centre was attempting to create hype with the launch of such schemes.

"What we are concerned about is that a) unlike the UPA, there is more talk less action; b) there is almost an insecurity complex, a frenzied attempt to disconnect from the past and to try and camouflage it as a new idea, a new scheme, whereas each one of them involved the same scheme with different names. Third, we have found more hype, more hyperbole and less reality," he said.

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, however, downplayed all criticisms and said this scheme will benefit each individual in rural India.

"Narendra Modi and the Indian Government aim to bring development to the far corners of the country, to everyone, and the 'Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' will definitely be a step in that direction," he said.

Prime Minister Modi, who launched the 'Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' earlier today, called it a scheme that would open the door for good politics. He invited all MPs to select a village to develop on a demand-driven, rather than a supply-driven model, with people's participation.

Prime Minister Modi said the MPs were free to pick up any village in their constituency, except their own village or their in-laws village.

Stating that the 'Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' would provide a flexible approach towards development, he expressed hope that the 'Adarsh grams' would become places of pilgrimage for people interested in learning about rural development.