I don't have to read in books what poverty is: Modi reiterates free-ration scheme in Seoni

SEONI: In the run-up to the State assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, while addressing an election rally in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni, reiterated his declaration on the government's decision to extend the free ration scheme for the poor for five years.

"I have come out of poverty, I don't have to read in books what poverty is. I can feel the pain of the poor. Therefore, your son, your brother, has made a big decision in his mind that when the 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana' is completed in December, we will guarantee a free ration for the next 5 years," PM Modi during his address in Seoni today.

The Prime Minister said the extension of the free ration scheme is "guarantee of Modi". He added, "This is BJP, for which every poor, backward, Dalit, tribal... is a member of the BJP family. A member of my family."

The Prime Minister also launched a veiled attack against the Congress party and said that the party can never be trusted. "Congress can never be trusted. The Congress' slogan is "Garib ke jeb saaf, kaam half se bhi half" (The poor's pocket is clean, the work is half of the half), which means Congress does not work towards development, but it definitely empties the poor people's pockets," PM Modi said.

He further claimed that, unlike the Congress rule, the BJP rule witnessed no scams.

"Before 2014, each scam of Congress used to be worth lakhs and crores, now there are no scams under the BJP government's rule. The money saved in the name of the poor is spent on their ration schemes. This is the biggest difference between the corruptive Congress government and the BJP government," he added.

He also alleged that the Congress party is "pretending" to contest in Madhya Pradesh.

"For Congress, no one is bigger than its own family. Where Congress assumes office, the government schemes, roads, streets... everything is named after that family. Only that family is visible in the MP manifesto," he said.

He added, "Congress is not contesting elections in Madhya Pradesh. They know that there is no need to win the elections here; they are just pretending to contest the elections. They contest the elections to see whose son will become the head of the Congress."

"Congress neither has any future of its own nor does it have any roadmap for the future of the youth of MP. Even today, Congress leaders ask for votes on what their grandparents did," he further said.

PM Modi expressed confidence that the people's mandate is with the BJP, adding that the state needs continuity in good governance and development.

"It is the guarantee of the people that the BJP is going to win (Assembly elections). Our Madhya Pradesh needs continuity in good governance and development. The entire state says 'BJP hai toh bharosa hai, BJP hai toh vikas hai, BJP hai toh behtar bhavishya hai' (If there is BJP, there is trust, if there is BJP, there is development, if there is BJP, there is better future)," the PM said.

"Modi is in the minds of everyone, young and old, women and elderly, in Madhya Pradesh. Seoni is ready, again this time for the BJP government," he added.

Earlier on Saturday, in a major announcement ahead of elections in five states this month, PM Modi said that his government has decided to extend the free ration scheme for the poor for five years.

The Prime Minister made the announcement during his poll rallies in Durg and Ratlam while launching an attack against Congress.

"I have decided that the BJP government will extend the scheme of providing free rations to 80 crore poor people in the country for the next 5 years. Your affections and blessings give me the power to take such decisions, " PM Modi said at the election rally in Durg.

Elections to the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly will be held in two phases, with the first phase of polling for 20 seats scheduled for November 7 and the remaining 70 seats to go for polling on November 17.

Madhya Pradesh will go to the polls on November 17, Mizoram on November 7, Rajasthan on November 25, and Telangana on November 30.

The counting of votes will be done on December 3.