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Shah vows to hike benefits of Ayushman Bharat, farmer schemes after poll win
Questions Rahul’s knowledge of MSP, terms Congress liar, claims Haryana government offering MSP on 24 crops
Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday slammed former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, asking him if he knew the full form of the MSP as he underscored that the Haryana government is procuring 24 crops at the minimum support price (MSP). In another rally, he vowed to hike the benefit of Centre’s Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme from ₹6,000 to ₹10,000 per year for state farmers after his party’s poll victory. He also promised to raise the free medical treatment limit to ₹10 lakh from ₹5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Haryana.
Addressing a rally in Rewari, Shah said some NGO has told Rahul Gandhi that his party can get votes by talking about the minimum support price (MSP) issue. “Our government in Haryana is procuring 24 crops at MSP and let the Congress leaders answer which of their party-ruled states procures as many crops at the MSP. How many crops are procured at MSP in Telangana and Karnataka. ‘Rahul Baba’ do you know the full form of MSP? Which one is rabi crop and which one is kharif, do you know?” the Union home minister asked.
Shah said paddy was procured at ₹1,300 per quintal during the Congress rule and now its price has reached ₹2,300 per quintal. “If you elect the BJP government for the third term, we will procure paddy at ₹3,100 per quintal. The Congress governments running across the country should stop lying to farmers,” Shah said.
Sharpening his attack, Shah said the Narendra Modi government had fulfilled the decades old one rank, one pension (OROP) demand. “The Congress government was run by dealers, dalal (middlemen) and damad (son-in-law). The previous Congress government in Haryana was known for cut, commission and corruption,” he added.
He further accused Rahul Gandhi of talking about ending reservation of SC/ST and OBC communities. “Rahul Baba accuses us of ending the reservation. In the US, he (Rahul) said that they will end the reservation. I want to assure you that as long as there is even a single BJP MP in the parliament, we will not allow the end reservation,” Shah added.
Rahul Gandhi, during his interaction with students of Georgetown University in the US over a fortnight ago, had told students that the Congress would think of scrapping reservations when “India is a fair place”, which he said is not the case right now.
Speaking on Agnipath scheme, Shah assured that not a single Agniveer will be deprived of a pensionable job and asserted that Haryana and central government will ensure this.
Regarding Article 370, he even the third generation of the Congress cannot bring back the Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress is advocating for the release of stone-pelters and what kind of jock they are doing,” he added. Articles 370 and 35-A were scrapped in August 2019 to end the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Shah promised that Rewari would have a cooperative factory of mustard oil, a Vishavkarma university and a new medical college. He also spoke about his party’s poll promises including ₹2,100 per month for women under Lado Lakshmi scheme, cooking gas cylinders at ₹500, free dialysis facility in all government hospitals and five lakh houses for the poor, he said.
Later, reacting to Shah’s claim, former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the BJP’s claim regarding MSP on 24 crops were false. “Haryana doesn’t produce 24 crops. How can they purchase that number of crops? Paddy crop has reached the market but farmers are not getting MSP on it,” he alleged.
Addressing another rally in Ladwa, Shah said, “Voters on 89 seats will elect ministers or MLAs, but this town will elect the chief minister. I’ve been to 630 districts of the country in various states over the last 12 years. People request me to choose their MLAs as ministers. But for the people of Ladwa, we have given a candidate who is already a CM.”
Without naming INLD’s OP Chautala, Shah said that a CM had to spend 10 years in jail under corruption charges regarding jobs, but “during 10 years of the BJP government, all jobs were given bina parchi-bina kharchi.”
He also addressed a rally in Mullana of Ambala to seek votes for party candidates Santosh Sarwan (Mullana), Aseem Goel (Ambala City) and Pawan Saini (Naraingarh).
He said that if voted to power again, the BJP would double the amount for free treatment provided under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh and ₹6,000 per year being given to farmers now, will also be increased to ₹10,000.
