Days after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was appointed as the AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh (East), BJP president Amit Shah said that unlike the One Rank One Pension or OROP scheme implemented by the Narendra Modi government for ex-servicemen, the Congress party's OROP meant 'Only Rahul Only Priyanka'.
Addressing BJP's Panna Pramukh Sammelan at Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP president said, "The Modi government implemented OROP for ex-servicemen. The Congress, however, follows another OROP which means Only Rahul Only Priyanka."
OROP was a long-standing demand of the armed forces and veterans who demanded same pension, for same rank, for same length of service, irrespective of the date of retirement.
Lashing out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Shah said, "In his speeches, the Congress president nowadays brings up the issue of poverty. I just want to ask Rahul baba what the Congress governments did for decades to eradicate poverty. It is only the BJP government which is taking measures to eradicate the country's poverty."
Shah reiterated, "Desh ek Majboot Sarkar chahta hai, majboor sarkar nahi (The country wants a strong government not a weak and hapless one)."
Hamirpur, where the rally took place, is known as Martyrs' Land owing to a significant numbers of people from the area joining the Army. In Hamirpur, the BJP president said that the nation wants a government which can give Pakistan a befitting reply for killing our soldiers.
Reiterating BJP's slogan 'Mera booth, sabse majboot' to energise party workers, the BJP president said in cadre-based BJP the party workers are the "basis of victory" and every BJP Panna Pramukh is determined to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister again. Around 40,000 Panna Pramuks attended the event.
The BJP president also thanked Himachal Pradesh voters for ensuring victory of the party's candidates in all the four Lok Sabha seats in the hill state during the 2014 general elections. He said like former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to the development of Himachal.
Shah said the Modi government gave Rs 1,15,865 crore in the last five years to the hill state while the state got a paltry Rs 44,325 crore from the 13th Finance Commission during the previous Congress government.
In an oblique reference to former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, Shah said, "No one else except raja, rani and rajkumar was given importance during the five-year term of the previous Congress government in the state."
The BJP president said people of Himachal Pradesh now feel that the BJP government led by Jai Ram Thakur is their "own government" as it is connected to the people. A total of 20,062 complaints out of 25,227 have been redressed in Jan Manch programmes launched by the Thakur government, he informed.
Comparing Funds
- Addressing a rally in Himchal Pradesh, the BJP chief said the Modi government in the last five years gave Rs 1,15,865 crore to the state.
- He said the state got a paltry Rs 44,325 crore during the previous Congress government.
