Bharat Mata Ki...
I pay respect to goddess of Basta Aradhya Devi, Mata Dhanteswar. Brothers, sisters, mothers of Bastar, youths, those MPs present on the stage Sri Dinesh Kashyap, Bhai Kedar Kashyap, Bhai Subhash Kashyap, Bhai Santosh Bapta, Beduram Kashyap, Mahesh Gagda, Sri Bhandavi, Sri Ganiram Barsi, sister Lata Husandi, Sri Kedar Kashyap and those brothers and sisters of Bastar present in large numbers. I have come to Jagdalpur several times before, and have visited the interiors of Bastar as I used to look at the BJP's organisational work. It was then that I had an opportunity to know about Chhattisgarh to a large extent. This Bastar is larger than Kerala state. Bastar has enormous potential, rich natural resources but it has been unfortunate that till the time Chhattisgarh was part of Madhya Pradesh, Congress was ruling but it did not care about the region. This was a picnic spot for the Congress. They used to come here with their friends to visit the forest and used to show them the tribals inhabiting the region, used to show our poverty and used to take all accolades.
Brothers and sisters, the people of Chhattisgarh should not forget the contributions of Atal Behari Vajpayee. It was the foresightedness of Vajpayee Ji, it was his thought that if Chhattisgarh is created as a different state, then it will give an opportunity to develop the state. The soil of this region has immense power and potential.
Chhattisgarh should be made prosperous... this was the dream of Atal Behari Vajpayee ji. Today with the blessings of Maa Dhanteshwari I take pride in the initiatives taken by Vajpayee ji. I pay my respect to Vajpayee ji who laid the foundation of Chhattisgarh. Vajpayee ji had compassion for poor, downtrodden and the exploited tribes and the victims of oppression. He never used to give slogans but had long term policy in his mind. He ensured that government work the welfare the people.
Dear tribal brothers, please tell me since when the tribal society existing in this country. Isn't it for 1000s of years? Wasn't it existing prior to Independence? Aren't the tribal poor people? After Independence, many Congress governments were formed but nobody remembered tribals, their poverty was not looked at, there was no education and career for the children of tribals. After so many years of Independence, Vajpayee was the first PM who created a special ministry for the welfare of tribals. He created separate minister, ministry, department, officials, and budget and ensured that the ministry could work independently. Brothers and sisters, many years after Independence Vajpayee ji took initative for the welfare of tribals. It was only after this that the lifestyle of tribals saw remarkable improvement. It is not only this but in the northeast as well. Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur where tribals are in large in numbers, separate departments were created. He took special care of the tribals in the far-flung areas of Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur.
As he created the new state of Chhattisgarh, he created a new system for the tribals. I worked in this region when Chhattisgarh was created, then I was not the Gujarat chief minister. When Chhattisgarh was created it was ruled by the Congress. When I recall the work done during the three years of Congress rule, I am reminded of the atrocities, I get goosebumps. Chhattisgarh was under the rule of repression and oppression. When the party workers of BJP protested for their demands, tribals were beaten up and had to be hopitalised for as long as 6 months. Such cruel rulers were not seen in India. But Chhattisgarh saw the despotic rule, three years before its birth. We feared for the dream of Chhattisgarh as seen by Atal Behari Vajpayee - we feared for its people.
But I will salute the resolute nature of my brothers in Chhattisgarh - dalits, adivasis - they saw it and in the very first elections in Chhattisgarh, they threw off the yoke of misrule and exploitation - in a manner that started the countdown to the fall of Congress in India. For this, I shall congratulate you. Just imagine if you have not given 10 years to Dr Raman Singh and BJP what would have been the state of our Chhattisgarh today. If the looters got hold of Chhattisgarh then nothing would have remained - nothing.
The Central government has got embroiled in the coal scam - who knows if they would have spared even a kilo of Chhattisgarh coal - would have looted that too. It is your farsightedness that prevented Congress rule in Chhattisgarh or else Chhattisgarh would have been doomed under the paws of the Congress in 10 years. I feel the need to compare the state of three states. Atal Bihari Vajpayee took people into confidence and, without any politicking or bloodshed, carved out three new states - Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh. Look at the last 10 years of progress report of these three states - take stock. Jharkhand is where it was 10 years ago, Uttarakhand has gone backwards, Chhattisgarh is the only in these three that has progressed. What is the reason? Reason is your farsightedness, the understanding shown by my adivasi brothers of Chhattisgarh.
Congress got many a chance in Uttarakhand - that resulted in lack of development in the state. We all witnessed the tragedy of Kedarnath ji - thousands from across the country died. But the government of Uttarakhand cares two hoots about it. Look at Jharkhand. The richest state in terms of mineral wealth, but it is plagued with political instability. The machinations of the Congress-led central government to wrest power in Jharkhand is well known. Engineering defections, splitting parties, continued and look at the result. Jharkhand kept slipping. Chhattisgarh was saved because of your trust in Dr Raman Singh and BJP. The state has seen rapid development under a stable government. Three examples are before you and today I have travelled from Gujarat to beseech you. In the past the people of India voted for parties, castes and creed, relations. But times have changed. You must vote for development. You must have thought about your own good while voting. But today time has come for you to vote for a better tomorrow for your children. And such a future can only be ensured by BJP and Dr Raman Singh.
I would request you to ensure the continued development of Chhattisgarh. The rapid pace at which Chhattisgarh is progressing must be maintained and enhanced. In our families children grow up faster in their teens, say after 13 a boy or a girl grows up quickly. Every six months they outgrow their clothes. From 13 to 18 children grow rapidly. They gain in height, weight. Chhattisgarh is facing such an age, the teens. If it is nurtured along the path of development and growth the heights it can reach is only imaginable. So brothers and sisters, these coming five years are the most crucial in the development of Chhattisgarh.
Dr Raman Singh has provided a solid foundation of development. Now it is time to build on the foundation, time to take Chhattisgarh to newer heights. For that the years from 2013 to 2018 are the most crucial. If during this duration Chhattisgarh establishes itself, Chhattisgarh's development gathers momentum then this journey would not stop for a century to come. That is why I tell you that this election is not about choosing a government for the next five years. It is an election that will establish the foundation for development for the coming 100 years. Vote should be for development and politics of vote banks should be buried once and for all.
Has anyone seen such a huge gathering in Jagdalpur, has anyone imagined? The winds of change are blowing. The country wants development, wants a government that works for the betterment of the downtrodden. The Congress slogan was "Congress Ka Hath Garib Ke Sath". What happened? They showed you their hand and once they got elected they tried their hand and when they attained mastery in that then it is sleight of hand and nothing else. Their palm haven't spared coal either. People are asking for lockers in banks, not for keeping gold or jewellery or money, to keep coal, safe. Someone told me see Modi ji not only coal we shall have to soon ask for lockers to store onions too. When guests come we shall give them a whiff of the onion and keep it back in the locker.
Brothers and sisters, such a government that makes you shed tears without onions, a government that has snatched onion off the menu from the poor who used to supplant his diet of bajra, jowar or wheat roti with onions must be thrown off from power in this country. They promised. Let me ask you a question. You shall answer. Do you have faith in Congress and its promise? They promised that when they come to power in Delhi they will control inflation in 100 days. Should you spare those that have broken their promises? Should you hand over Chhattisgarh to them? Should you believe in their false promises?
I firmly believe that my brothers and sisters from Chhattisgarh would not fall prey to the false promises of the Congress. Tell me, my friend, if Atal Bihari Vajpayee had not dreamt about Chhattisgarh, if you had not mandated for Dr Raman Singh and had he not provided you with a stable government - could anybody amongst you have dreamt of a university in Bastar? Today Bastar has a university. Our country faces a shortage of doctors. The poor don't get treatment. Why? Because the Congress is least interested in establishing medical colleges. As long as they do not get their bags of cash they are not interested in medical colleges. When a medical college is established until and unless piles of capitation money changes hands you won't get admission there.
From Where will you get doctors? If there are no doctors from where will the poor get medical care? I would like to praise Dr Raman Singh that he has established a medical college in this backward district and taken the initiative for future medical care here. Dr Raman Singh has a vision. He is easily accessible to the people here. He interacts with them regularly, but people do not usually recognise him by his name. Who is Dr Raman Singh? But when you say 'çhaawal wala baba' (the rice man) the recognition is instant. Ensuring food security for the poor and downtrodden has been the primary focus of BJP.
And listen to what the Shahzada from Delhi says. He misleads people by saying 'we brought food security bill, we ensured food security'. My dear brothers and sisters, you and only you at Chhattisgarh know that it was the BJP government of Chhattisgarh which brought the first ever law related to food security anywhere in India. Even the government at Delhi understood and appreciated the act. Dr Raman Singh has given the people the right to skill development, right to training.
A government for development should be also be a sensitive one. The violence of Maoism, the bombs the bullets, the human casualty, security forces killed, amidst all this bloodbath, a resolute government has gone ahead with the agenda of development. Dr Raman Singh has demonstrated it. I would like to present before you cases of two governments in India. I shall also ask the political pundits to pay attention. One sensitive and the other insensitive. In May, Dr Raman Singh was travelling around Chhattisgarh on a yatra. Around the same time, Congress party leaders were on their yatras. Maoists killed a substantial numbers of Congress leaders. Recently there was a mammoth rally in Patna. Terrorists struck. Serial blasts targeted the dais, leaders of BJP. What did Raman Singh do and what did the Bihar CM do? Dr Raman Singh briefed the media, said that we shall probe the incident and if there has been any lapse at any level it would be addressed. He ordered an inquiry and adjourned his own yatra. He visited the family of the slain Congress leaders, and a couple of days later in the NIA meeting at Delhi his actions were lauded.
On the other hand, after such a grave incident in Patna we found the Bihar government in Rajgir. They seemed least bothered. Their body language and verbal statements betrayed some sort of pleasure. When media asked them, pat came the reply, not only are they not acknowledging any lapse, they ruled out any probe. Categorically.
See the difference between a sensitive Chief Minister and a proud and vain one whose only goal is to be in power. The reaction, the difference is there for the country to see. I would like to laud Dr Raman Singh for his patience, his courage in trying situations and I believe that in the next five years Chhattisgarh would outstrip Gujarat in development . And that would be a proud day for me. The way he took up local issues, wiped out the deficit in electricity generation, worked for the uplift of the downtrodden, the adivasis, the poor. I shall urge you to ensure a landslide victory for BJP . Vote for the lotus symbol and ensure the development of Chhattisgarh for the next century. I am thankful to you for the chance you have given us. I would like to congratulate you.
'Apan sobai Bastar ki bhai bahin manke mocho patle guhar kare che Bhartiya Janata part cho Kamal phool ne vote dyun bhari bahumat se jitwana - samay ke macho - jay johar' (most probably Chhattisgarhi)
I feel blessed that I could pray at the Ramanathaswamy Temple today: PM
