Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday claimed that BJP is pro-poor and its government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pulled more than 18.5 crore people in the country from below the poverty line.
The people of the country believe in Modi and his policies, Thakur said replying to a question relating to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik allegedly calling opposition parties in the state – the BJP and Congress ‘anti-people’ and ‘anti-development.’
He along with his cabinet colleague Dharmendra Pradhan claimed that Modi’s present popularity is above 78 per cent and that he is the most popular leader not only in the country but across the world. “We are a pro-people and pro-poor government. When we are in the Opposition, we raise issues related to the interest of the peoples and when in government we work for the uplift of the people. That is the reason why 18.5 crore people were pulled out of below poverty line. This ws achieved within nine years of the Modi government compared to 70 years of previous governments,” Thakur told reporters here.
“When the motto of BJP is ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’, how can the party be anti-people and anti-development,” he asked adding Modi never called any person is anti-people or anti-development. One can become anti-government, but not anti-people,” Thakur asserted.
Asked whether the BJP will give a walkover to BJD in the 2024 election in Odisha in the wake of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s open praise for Patnaik, the central minister said BJP will fight the next election with full vigour and perform very well like it is doing in the rest of the country, he said “BJP always fought elections on the strength of the party workers and came out with good results”.
