Hyderabad, February 29: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that the Congress party is accountable for the significant migration of people from villages to towns in India since Independence. He made these remarks during a rally in Nizamabad, Telangana, as part of the state BJP’s ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ in preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Gadkari alleged that despite promises made by the country’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, the welfare of villages, the poor, laborers, and farmers has not been achieved since Independence.
He highlighted the deteriorating condition of farmers in the country and attributed it to Nehru’s tenure as Prime Minister and the subsequent Congress government. According to Gadkari, Mahatma Gandhi had once mentioned that 90 percent of the population resided in villages, but over time, a shift occurred where people began leaving villages to settle in towns.
The population of cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Nagpur, and Pune has continued to grow, while the population in rural areas has declined, as stated. Presently, only 65 percent of the nation’s population resides in villages, with others leaving rural regions due to what he claimed were the incorrect economic policies of the Congress party.
Under the previous Congress administration, he mentioned that the condition of roads in villages was poor, there was a lack of drinking water, and farmers were not receiving fair prices for their crops.
Gadkari reminisced about his contributions to the construction of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and other initiatives as a minister in Maharashtra, as well as submitting a report to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the well-received Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
Since taking office in 2014, he stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has prioritized the advancement of villages, the poor, laborers, and farmers.
Emphasizing the significance of roads, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister stated that his ministry is constructing roads worth Rs two lakh crore in Telangana.
He mentioned that while ‘Kashmir to Kanyakumari’ was frequently mentioned in political speeches, the NDA government has actually constructed roads from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
Gadkari urged individuals to back the BJP in order to secure employment for young people, the well-being of farmers, and the rights of women. The union minister, who discussed his efforts to promote ethanol, stated that IndianOil intends to establish 400 ethanol pumps throughout the country in the future.
He expressed his belief that ethanol produced from paddy, sugarcane juice, molasses, bamboo, and rice straw will become the primary fuel in the country, leading to a reduction in imports by Rs 16 lakh crore. The Rs 5 lakh – Rs 7 lakh crore saved would benefit farmers, making them more prosperous.
BJP MP from Nizamabad D Aravind and party leaders were in attendance.