Congress-NCP did maximum harm to people: PM Narendra Modi

Addressing a joint rally of Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena and other allies here ahead of the Oct 21 assembly elections, he said during their 15-year rule, they only indulged in corruption and worked for the corrupt, immensely harming the people of the state.

The Prime Minister further said the honest people have nothing to worry about, but the dishonest will not be spared and no power can prevent them from being punished for their wrongdoings.

In contrast, he said in the past five years, there was not a single allegation of corruption against the BJP government, both at the Centre and the state, and noted that it was an indicator of its culture.

“On the other hand, our government in the state and at the Centre has worked for empowering the people at all levels, serving the poorest by giving them affordable homes, toilets, water and gas connections, Rs five lakh health insurance to the poor, and other welfare measures,” he said.

On the question of unemployment – raised by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Mumbai on Thursday – Mr Modi admitted that jobs are important to increase job opportunities.

"This is a government that respects the ‘job-creators’, for whom it is making special efforts like Ease of Doing Business, reducing red-tapism and laying out the red-carpet for them," he pointed.

In this context, the Prime Minister said the country is moving towards a friendly, instead of fearsome, tax regime in which the honest tax-payers will never suffer.

“We shall change the tax-assessment systems prevailing since past many years… We have already scrapped Angel Tax, rationalised Corporate Tax, implemented Mudra scheme for the common people… This is the difference between (the previous regime) and our government,” said Mr Modi.

He declared that the BJP government would not tire, dilly-dally or bend, but make efforts to ensure that no projects are delayed or dumped.

In this context, the Prime Minister mentioned the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project conceived in 2004, which the BJP-Sena government revived in 2016 and it will be completed in coming few years.

Similarly, he said the Mumbai Metro and the Navi Mumbai International Airport projects were languishing since 1997, and kept on getting delayed, he said.

Finally, it was revived but till 2013-14, only 11 km Metro Rail was built in 2016, he said and noted that

the work happened at “a speed which would shame even a Tortoise”.

But the BJP-Sena government has moved fast and in next few years, there will be a network of Metro Rail in the city, the Prime Minister said.

The Navi Mumbai International Airport project has also been revived and is progressing well now and moving towards completion soon, he added.

He made a fervent appeal to the people of Mumbai and Maharashtra to return the BJP-Sena alliance with a higher majority compared to 2014 and take the state on path of all-round progress and fast development.