"No one has dared to make even a single allegation of corruption," he said.
Chamoli (Uttarakhand): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governance and asserted no one in the world can point a finger and claim that there has never been even the slightest accusation of corruption against any minister under PM Modi's administration in the past ten years.
Addressing a public meeting in Gauchar, Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, Rajnath Singh said, "It has been 10 years since the government of this country has been running under the leadership of Modi ji. No person in India, or the world can point a finger and say that there has been even a single allegation of corruption against any minister of Modi ji's government in the past 10 years."
Taking a dig at the opposition, Rajnath Singh said, "Congress had been ruling the government for a long time. Big scams were committed under their power. And, due to serious allegations of corruption, their governments have deteriorated, and their reputations have been spoiled. It even happened once that their minister had to be jailed on corruption charges."
"It has been 10 years since the government of this country has been running under the leadership of Modi ji. No person in India, or the world can point a finger and say that there has been even a single allegation of corruption against any minister of Modi ji's government in the past 10 years. No one has dared to make even a single allegation of corruption," he said.
Adding further Mr Singh said, "I just want to remind you all one thing; I never criticise any PM, whichever party he belongs to Congress or any other party because I believe that a party is not a person but an institution."
"Once very honestly Rajiv Gandhi accepted that he sent 100 paise, however, merely 14 paise was reachable to the people. Nobody accepted that challenge but we did. In the first meeting of the BJP, PM Modi did one thing, he said that a Jan Dhan account should be opened for every Indian citizen," he said.
"I honestly accept that even I was not able to fathom why the PM was opening an account for everyone and so asked the Prime Minister myself about the objective of this scheme. The Prime Minister duly said that he would explain the same to me after the meeting," he added.
"Needless to say, in the present day, the benefits of PM Jan Dhan Yojana are such that, if today 100 paisa is withdrawn from the banks of Delhi, then all of that 100 out of 100 paisa reaches to your (public) pocket. Not a single paisa is used for corruption," said the Defence Minister.
Rajnath Singh further said that if corruption is to be ended then there needs to be a change in the system, and there needs to be a change in the concerned arrangements.
Earlier, in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated on Thursday in the Vijay Sankalp rally organised by BJP Uttarakhand at IDPL ground in Rishikesh.
PM Modi said that such a large number of people have come to Rishikesh, the gateway to the four Dhams, situated in the vicinity of Mother Ganga, to bless us. He said that whenever he comes to Uttarakhand, he also refreshes old memories with his family.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted initiatives undertaken by the Modi government to make the country "stronger in the last ten years."
"When there has been a weak and unstable government in the country, the enemies have taken advantage. Terrorism spread its roots in India under weak and unstable governments. Today, there is a strong Modi government in India, so terrorists are killed by entering their homes, the Indian Tricolour becomes a guarantee of security even on the battlefield, Article 370 is abolished in Jammu and Kashmir, a law is made against triple talaq, women are given reservation in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha, 10 per cent reservation is also given to the poor of the general category," he said.
The Prime Minister said that the BJP had guaranteed to implement 'One Rank, One Pension' and he fulfilled it.
PM Modi said, "During the Congress rule, soldiers were even short of bulletproof jackets and there were no proper arrangements to protect them from enemy bullets, but the BJP government gave bulletproof jackets made in India to its soldiers, saving their lives."
Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts in taking the country ahead, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that Prime Minister Modi has spent every moment of his life to take Mother India forward.
The Chief Minister highlighted the Prime Minister's strong connection with Uttarakhand, crediting his leadership and the support of the people for the BJP's victory in the 2022 elections.
Emphasising the government's commitment to its promises, he mentioned the Uniform Civil Code Bill, aimed at ensuring equal rights for all citizens.
In contrast, he criticised the Congress for advocating the Muslim Personal Law in their manifesto.
"Now there is no need to get into the trap of casteism and classism. Under the leadership of Modi ji, the entire country, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, is moving ahead in the race of development," Dhami said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)