Congress hoodwinked people by just laying foundation stones for projects, says PM Modi in Barmer

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday that the opening of Barmer Refinery will open an ocean of new employment opportunities for the youth.

Pic courtesy: PIB

Pachpadra: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked the Congress party saying it has "hoodwinked" people by just laying foundation stones for projects.

Speaking at an event organised to start work on the Rs 43,129 crore Barmer oil refinery project here, he said drought and Congress walk hand-in-hand and the state saw the end of drought when the party was shown the door.

PM Modi added that the Congress had only laid foundation stones for projects across the country to claim credit. Railway lines were announced just to claim short-term popularity with projects never ever seeing the light, he said.

Congress, PM Modi, had "hoodwinked" people by making just announcements.

PM Modi also said that the Congress had seen his commitment to one-rank-one-pension scheme for defence personnel and provided for Rs 500 crore in the interim budget just before the 2014 general elections to claim credit.

"Barmer refinery was at least on papers, OROP wasn't even on paper," he said, adding that no groundwork on the beneficiaries or on the outgo was ever done. It took one-and-half-years to collate the list of beneficiaries of OROP and the implementation cost Rs 12,000 crore as against Rs 500 crore provided by the Congress," he said.

Of this, four instalments totalling Rs 10,700 crore have already been made to defence personnel and the rest would also be paid soon, PM Modi further said, as per PTI.

He said while the Congress just gave the slogan of 'garibi hatao' (remove poverty), the BJP government has worked towards doing so by way of providing free cooking gas (LPG) connection to poor women and giving free power connection to the four crore households that still do not have electricity.

This is a time for 'Sankalp Se Siddhi.' We have to identify our targets and work towards achieving them by 2022, when we mark 75 years of freedom: PM @narendramodi in Barmrer — PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 16, 2018

Some people mislead citizens often. Their misleading the nation on Barmer refinery is not the exception, it is a norm when it comes to them. There are several such areas in which they have been misleading the nation for years: PM @narendramodi — PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 16, 2018

I have seen how @VasundharaBJP Ji fights for the rights and interests of Rajasthan. She is always thinking about maximum benefits to Rajasthan and at the same time ensuring there is no wastage of resources: PM @narendramodi — PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 16, 2018

The #BarmerRefinery is yet another step towards the #NewIndia PM Shri @narendramodi ji envisions, with the project marking a vital shift in the economic, social and public infrastructure of #Rajasthan. #PMInRajasthan #RisingRajasthan pic.twitter.com/4a37WZM485 — Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) January 16, 2018

Barmer Refinery and Petrochemicals Project of #HRRL will mark the opening of a new chapter in the history of economic development in Rajasthan. #PMInRajasthan pic.twitter.com/RqBoZoQrJD — Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) January 16, 2018

On the other hand, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said that the opening of Barmer Refinery will open an ocean of new employment opportunities for the youth in the country.

Speaking at a rally after the inauguration of the refinery, he said, "The opening of the refinery will help in the development of the petrochemical and gas sectors in the region. The refinery will also help in the employment of the youth. Along with employment, it will ensure all-round development in Rajasthan," ANI reported.

Pradhan also added that the opening of the Barmer refinery will help in the economic development in Rajasthan.

Ahead of the event, ruling BJP and opposition Congress slugged it out to get credit for the refinery.

Congress says its then president Sonia Gandhi had laid the foundation stone of the refinery on September 22, 2013, and PM Modi was "re-laying" the foundation stone.

But both Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said that foundation laying was a political stunt done days before the model code of conduct for Assembly elections came into force on September 27, 2013.

Neither the land was acquired for the project nor the environment clearance obtained for the foundation laying, they said.

(With Agency inputs)