Not A Single Person Died Of Hunger In Last 10 Years: Minister In Parliament

Not a single person died of hunger in the country in the last 10 years, Union minister and BJP leader S P Singh Baghel has claimed, while accusing the Congress of not taking measures to eradicate poverty.

Speaking during a debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, the Minister of State for Health hit out at former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Baghel said while he acknowledges Rajiv Gandhi to be an "innocent prime minister", he would also characterise him as an "incompetent" one because it was his duty to prevent corruption and ensure that theft did not occur under his government.

Hitting out at former prime minister Indira Gandhi, he said despite giving the slogan of 'garibi hatao', poverty could not be eradicated by her Congress government.

"If any responsible individual has deceived this country, it is the late Indira Gandhi who gave the 'garibi hatao' slogan. If poverty had vanished, who are the 80 crore people we have inherited and to whom Modi Ji is providing five kilograms of rice and wheat?" Baghel said.

He said not a single person out of 140 crore Indians has died of hunger in the last 10 years. "Because they get 5 kg of rice for free, and it has been mentioned in the budget that a guarantee has been taken for the next five years as well," he said.

Lauding the government for banning triple talaq, he said now, saying "talaq" three times will not work; you had to go to court for it".

He also hit out at the opposition and said his party would come back in May with over 400 seats.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)