Guwahati, March 13 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that by granting land rights to tea workers within garden housing lines, the BJP-led government is ending a "historic injustice" towards the community.
Lashing out at the Congress, Modi said the opposition party never looked after the tea garden workers during its tenure.
"We have given land deeds to them, and I must congratulate the Assam government for ending a historic injustice towards the tea garden workers," the PM said at an official event here, as he dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation for projects worth around Rs 19,680 crore, with focus on infrastructure and energy sectors.
He also released the 22nd installment of the PM-KISAN scheme for over 9.3 crore farmers across the country at the same programme.
Modi kicked off the process of giving land rights to tea garden workers in the housing or labour lines within the estate premises, with 28,241 families receiving it in the first phase. The PM ceremonially handed over the deeds to three families at the event.
"Actually, I am repaying my debt by giving land deeds to all tea garden workers. The tea leaves produced by you reached Gujarat, and by selling tea brewed from it, I have reached in this position today. I have your blessings,” alluding to his ‘chaiwala’ profession, drawing applause from the gathering.
He maintained that while the tea garden workers have given Assam and India recognition at the global level, the previous Congress government never even enquired about them.
The PM said that Assam is becoming a model for all northeastern states, and its development in the last 10 years is leaving an imprint in West Bengal, as people there want a "BJP government this time".
Assembly elections in Assam and West Bengal are likely to be held in April.
Elaborating on the welfare steps of the BJP-led NDA government for farmers, Modi said, "We have insulated our farmers from global incidents like COVID-19 and wars. We have spent Rs 12 lakh crore as fertiliser subsidies to give relief to the farmer brothers.”
He claimed that the PM-KISAN scheme has drawn queries from developed nations, marvelling at how India was able to transfer money to bank accounts of crores of farmers with the click of a button.
Stressing that the welfare of farmers was crucial for his government, Modi said a security net was being developed around them through various schemes and measures to ensure social security in all aspects.
"The Congress gave Rs 6.5 lakh crore as MSP in 10 years before 2014, while we have provided Rs 20 lakh crore in the last decade,” he pointed out.
Without elaborating, the Prime Minister said the Congress was spreading misinformation “even amid the West Asia war situation”.
Modi also said that the Congress kept India dependent on foreign nations for decades, but the NDA government changed that gradually, focusing on achieving self-reliance in all sectors from agriculture to energy.
“The NDA government is known for empathy and good governance. We believe in development for all sections of the society," he added.