Jharsuguda (Odisha) [India], September 27 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a public gathering in Jharsuguda, accused the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh of "blocking" relief measures initiated by the Centre by imposing extra taxes on fuel and cement despite cuts by the Centre and alleged that wherever the Congress is in power, it "loots" the people.
"The Congress government is in power in Himachal. The Congress has gotten into the habit of hurling all sorts of abuses at me. When we reduced the GST rates, prices came down across the country, but Congress does not want to give this relief to the common people. Earlier, when we had reduced the prices of diesel and petrol, wherever there were Congress governments, they imposed a second tax on diesel and petrol there, keeping the prices the same and filling their own coffers. When our government reduced the price of cement, the Congress government in Himachal imposed its own tax. The benefit that the Government of India wanted to give to the people of Himachal was blocked by the Congress's plundering government standing like a wall in between. Wherever the Congress government is, it will loot the people there," PM Modi said.
He added, "You know well what the situation was earlier. Congress never missed a chance to loot you. In 2014, when you chose us, we freed you from Congress's loot system. Under the BJP government, the era of double savings and double income has begun."
Earlier on Wednesday, the Principal Media Advisor to the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Naresh Chauhan, welcomed the Centre's decision to reduce GST slabs but accused the Modi government of exploiting people for eight years under what he termed a "Jaziya tax."
Chauhan said, "We welcome the decision to cut GST slabs, but let the BJP government explain why, since 2017, it looted the people by imposing this very GST as a form of Jaziya tax. In eight years, they squeezed the public and collected ₹55 lakh crore. What explanation does Prime Minister Modi have for this?"
Chauhan further alleged that the Centre never passed on the benefit of low global crude oil prices to the public, saying, "The profit from cheaper crude was handed over to big industrialists. Why was the public deprived of that relief?"
He also credited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for consistently opposing the high GST structure.
"It was Rahul Gandhi who, from the very beginning, said the GST slabs should be reduced. The Congress had described it as a Gabbar Singh Tax. The Modi government should not mislead the public today but admit that it has only corrected its mistake," he said. Chauhan added that despite the Prime Minister's announcement, there had been "no reduction in prices of goods in the market."
During the Jharsuguda event, PM Modi highlighted the government's development push in Odisha, saying the state was moving ahead with "double engine" speed. He announced the launch of BSNL's indigenous 4G services and the approval of two semiconductor units for the state. "A year and a half ago, during the assembly elections, the people of Odisha had resolved to move forward with a new commitment, and that commitment was Developed Odisha. Today, we are seeing that Odisha has started advancing at the speed of a double engine. Today, once again, for the development of Odisha, for the development of the country, work on projects worth thousands of crores of rupees has begun. From today, a new avatar of BSNL has also emerged. BSNL's indigenous 4G services have been launched," he said.
The Prime Minister also stressed the government's focus on housing and welfare for the marginalised. "Our major emphasis is on providing basic facilities to the poor, Dalits, backward classes, and tribals. When a poor family gets a pucca house, not only the present but also the lives of future generations become easier. Our government has provided pucca houses to more than 4 crore poor families across the country. In Odisha too, the work of constructing thousands of houses is underway. Today, house approval has been given to nearly 50,000 families," he said.
PM Modi highlighted the goverments resolve to make in Indi and spoke of the recent fillip given to the Shipbuilding industry with a package of 70,000 crores.
"It is our resolve that from chip to ship, India must be self-reliant in everything. Any country that wants to be economically strong gives great importance to shipbuilding. Whether it is trade, technology, or national security, shipbuilding provides benefits in every field. If we have our own ships, there will be no hindrance in imports and exports with the world during times of crisis," he said.
With Navratri ongoing, the Prime Minister said he was fortunate to have darshan of Maa Samalei and Maa Ramachandi Devi. "The festival of Navratri is underway, and in these sacred days, I have had the good fortune to have darshan of all of you on this land of Maa Samalei and Maa Ramachandi Devi. Your blessings are our strength. I bow to all of you," he added.
Prime Minister at Jharsuguda inaugurated development projects worth over Rs 60,000 crore.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati were present at the event. Majhi praised the Prime Minister for launching schemes such as the Subhadra Yojana, which benefits one crore women with Rs 10,000 annually, and the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana, which provides pucca houses and financial assistance to vulnerable rural families.
Chief Ministers of eight states, including Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, joined virtually, along with several Union Cabinet ministers.