Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh are scheduled later this year. (File)
Some people in the Congress have become "seasonal Hindu" for political gain, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday while accusing the opposition party of trying to "hoodwink" the public by promising the "five guarantees" if it comes to power in Madhya Pradesh.
His remarks at a 'Kisan Kalyan Mahakumbh' in Rajgarh came a day after Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi offered prayers to Narmada river, considered the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh.
"Some people in Congress have become what I call 'seasonal Hindu'. I want to ask them why they did not remember Narmada ji before. Why are you remembering Narmada ji now," Rajnath Singh said.
The defence minister and senior BJP leader said it was Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who declared Narmada river a living entity.
"Now they (Congress) are carrying Hanuman ji's mace in their meetings and their events. Earlier they were wary of taking names of Ram and Hanuman," he said.
Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh are scheduled later this year.
"To hoodwink the public, the Congress is talking about five guarantees. When Kamal Nath ji's government was there, many announcements were made, none of them were fulfilled. Now Congress is talking about guarantees again," he added.
The defence minister said Congress has always made promises but never fulfilled them but BJP always fulfils what it promises.
"It was because of the difference in words and deeds of our politicians that a crisis of credibility emerged in Indian politics. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all the BJP ruled states ensure that they fulfilled all the promises made to the people," he said.
Rajnath Singh also lauded Chief Minister Chouhan's performance. "Looking at the work done by Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the confidence displayed by the crowd I can with certainty say that we will again form the government with more seats this time," he said.
"In the last 9 years the agriculture budget has been increased from Rs 25,000 crore to Rs 1.25 lakh crore by PM Modi. Likewise, the agriculture budget in Madhya Pradesh has been substantially increased," he said.
"BJP fulfils all its promises. We promised that we will build a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya and you all can see a grand Ram Temple is being built in Ayodhya and 'pratisthapna' of Ram Lalla will be done on January 22, 2024," he added.
Rajnath Singh also highlighted various achievements of the Modi government including in the defence sector.
"Now women are increasingly joining the army as well. The doors of Sainik Schools and NDA have been opened for our daughters. Recently, a woman officer has been posted in Siachen," he said.
Rajnath Singh said women are now deployed on naval warships.
"That is, from the depth of the Indian Ocean to the height of Siachen, women have also taken the initiative to protect the country," he said.
"Today a digital revolution is being witnessed in the country. This has become possible because the mobile connectivity which was limited only to the cities, has been extended to the panchayat level," Rajnath Singh said.
Rajnath Singh also described the farmers as "Anndaata" and "Jeevandaata".
"Some people say that our Kisan is "Anndaata". Some say our Kisan is "Jeevandaata". But I say that our Kisan is indeed "Anndaata" and "Jeevandaata" but along with it our Kisan is our "Bhagyavidhata" also," he said.
"If we want to make India a powerful country it is not possible without empowering our farmers," he added.
The defence minister said piped water supply have been made accessible to 60 lakh houses in Madhya Pradesh.
"Today most of the villages in the country have been connected by pucca roads. In the last nine years, 3.5 lakh km of roads have been built in the rural areas," he said.
"Food grain production in the country has increased to 315 lakh metric tonnes. Today we are number one in milk production. India is number two in the world in production of wheat, rice, tea, fruits and vegetables, sugar and fish," he added.
"If we talk about farmer's welfare, I can say with utmost confidence that whether it is our central government under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi or Madhya Pradesh government under Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the amount of work they have done, Congress has not been able to that much work in last 60 years," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)