W.B Govt Wants To Work Outside Federal Structure: Giriraj Singh

New Delhi: On the second day of its 2 weeks outreach programme, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday said that its government has built more houses for the poor in a span of eight years than Congress party did in a span of 60 years.

Addressing media at the BJP headquarters here in New Delhi, Union Minister Giriraj Singh claimed that the NDA led government in centre has built over 2.5 crore houses for poor in rural areas under P.M Awas Yojana in eight years of its regime, while its political rival Congress managed to build 3.26 crore houses in six decades under Indira Awas Yojana. Singh also said that the Modi-led government has delivered on its promise of providing Roti, Kapda and Makaan (Food, Clothing and Housing) to the poor.

He also drew a comparison with non-BJP ruled states and that while Uttar Pradesh has "performed well" under P.M Awas Yojana scheme, Mamata Banerjee ruled West Bengal is yet to provide consolidated data regarding the same. Chhattisgarh has also performed poorly on the delivery of P.M Awas scheme. Meanwhile, the union minister has said that 38 lac houses have been sanctioned out of which 23 lac houses have been completed in Bihar whereas in West Bengal approximately 37 lac houses have been sanctioned but the state government is yet to provide data as to how many of these sanctioned houses have been completed.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted, "We have made an important step in our resolve to provide pucca houses to every poor of the country. The construction of more than three crore houses has been possible only with the participation of the people. These houses equipped with basic facilities have also become a symbol of women empowerment today."

Senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh, in the presence of party spokesperson K.K. Sharma, added that the government is also funding poor for the construction of the house under the government scheme by providing Rs. 1.5 lac financial assistance.

On April 6, the BJP celebrated its Foundation Day and announced a series of programmes under Samajik Nyay Pakhwada from April 7 to April 20 that would highlight the government scheme and its benefit for 2 weeks.

Taking a jab at the TMC led West Bengal government, Giriraj Singh said, "the (West Bengal) state government wants to work outside the federal structure and rename all Central schemes…"