Demonetisation "bitter medicine" to treat corruption: Modi

Jhabua: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said he used the "bitter medicine" of demonetisation to bring back money into banking system and to give "proper treatment to deep-rooted corruption system" in the country. Addressing a poll rally here for the November 28 Assembly elections, Modi said, "We use poisonous medicine to eradicate termite. Similarly, I used note ban as a 'tez' (bitter) medicine to treat corruption in the country".

"People who used to hide their money under beds, in their houses, offices and factories are now paying tax of every single penny and we are using this money for the right schemes for the common man," Modi said. Modi cautioned the Madhya Pradesh farmers not to get carried away by the Congress' loan waiver promise, adding it was a sham. "The Congress made loan waiver promise to farmers in Karnataka before state Assembly polls there but instead of doing so, it is preparing to send peasants to jail," he said. "In 2008, a year ahead of general elections, the Congress promised loan waiver to the farmers which turned out to be an eyewash," he said. "My government is aiming to double farmers' income by 2022," the prime minister said.

The CAG in its report pointed to anomalies in the farmers loan waiver during the Congress regime, he said. The Congress is anti-farmer, he added. Modi said his government has so far disbursed loans to 14 crore people, "that too without guarantee", under the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana. "The amount of work we (BJP-led government) have done in four years, Congress would be able to do it in 10 years," Modi said. "Remember the time when Congress was in power here in Madhya Pradesh, what was the condition of people? Madhya Pradesh does not deserve a government which never thinks about the state's welfare," Modi said, targeting the Congress party. Modi said that during the Congress' 55 year rule in Madhya Pradesh, 1,500 schools were made, but Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan established 4,000 schools in the state in just 15 years.

"Our mantra is to provide education to boys and girls, income for youth, irrigation facility to farmers and medicines to elders," Modi said. On 'housing for all', Modi said, "My dream is to provide 'pucca' houses to everyone in the country by 2022. We have so far given keys of such houses to 1.25 crore people". Attacking Congress, Modi termed the Congress-led UPA regime as 'Madam ki Sarakar' and 'remote controlwali sarkar'. "I am working for the 125 crore people of the country. I am living for them and this is troubling Congress," he said. Congress speaks about farmers, but at least 15 big irrigation projects, which were meant for farmers of Madhya Pradesh, were kept hanging for years for no reason, he said.