Maharashtra Assembly Polls 2024: Congress started loss-making ventures, neglected villages, says Nitin Gadkari

Gondia (Maharashtra): Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday slammed the Congress for launching loss-making ventures, neglecting villages and depriving the country of real development during its tenure in power.

The country had suffered due to the "wrong policies and corrupt government," the senior BJP leader said targeting the previous Congress-led dispensations in power.

Gadkari lauded former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for strengthening the road infrastructure in the country.

The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways was addressing a public meeting at Sadak Arjuni in Gondia district while campaigning for NCP candidate Rajkumar Badole for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls.

"Any leader in the history of India who did the work of strengthening road connectivity in 3.5 lakh villages out 6.5 lakh in the country under the flagship 'Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana' is Atal Bihari Vajpayee," Gadkari said.

The previous (Congress-led) government neglected villages. They established hotels, steel factories, power projects and started airlines, but all (went) in losses and are now under auction. All money got lost, he said.

Had they used this money for making roads, irrigation facilities, schools, hospitals, veterinary hospitals in villages, then the situation would have been different now, the BJP leader said.

"We suffered due to the wrong policies and corrupt (Congress-led) government," he said.

Gadkari also criticised the Congress for its "fake propaganda" during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections that the BJP would change the Constitution of the country.

"It was the Congress which had destroyed the Constitution," he claimed.

When former prime minister Indira Gandhi had been elected from Rae Bareli, a writ petition was filed against her in the Allahabad High Court and the HC declared her election illegal, Gadkari said.

After that, the Congress, for its own interests, "destroyed the Constitution", the minister said.

Gadkari pitched for "Atmanirbhar Bharat" with a five trillion dollar economy, and for the country to become "vishwa guru".

He stressed on good infrastructure for the development of industries, businesses and agriculture.

The minister informed about the development works done in Gondia by the "double engine" government (of BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra) and projects in the pipeline.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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