PM Modi spoke to construction workers ahead of the big inauguration event
- Prime Minister Modi criticised past governments for oppressive laws against sanitation workers
- Delhi Municipal Corporation Act allowed jailing sanitation workers for missing work without notice, he said
- Prime Minister Modi today inaugurated Urban Extension Road-II and Delhi section of Dwarka Expressway projects
Targeting the Opposition and senior Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today alleged that "those who dance with the Constitution on their heads" kept oppressive laws in place for decades before he started repealing them.
Addressing a government event to inaugurate two key infrastructure projects to declog Delhi roads, the Prime Minister referred to sanitation workers in the national capital. "Our safai karmacharis fulfill a major duty and we must thank them every morning. But previous governments treated them like slaves. I am telling you the truth of how those who dance with the Constitution on their heads trampled the Constitution and betrayed Babasaheb Ambedkar. You will be shocked."
"For my safai karmachari brothers and sisters, there was a dangerous law in the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act. There was a clause that if a safai mitra (sanitation worker) skipped work without informing beforehand, he/she could be jailed for a month. Think about it, what did they think of safai karmacharis? You will put them in jail for a small mistake? They now talk big about social justice. They made and kept such laws. It is Modi who is weeding out these laws and repealing them," the Prime Minister said.
Social justice and the Constitution are key planks Mr Gandhi has used to target the Narendra Modi government. So even though the Prime Minister did not name any specific leader, his target was apparent. This also comes amid Mr Gandhi's big offensive against the BJP and the Election Commission, alleging irregularities in voter lists.
With Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on the dais, the Prime Minister said the BJP has come to power in Delhi after a long time. "The previous governments destroyed Delhi, put it in a ditch. The BJP government has to fill that ditch and then progress will be visible. But I believe this team you have elected will pull Delhi out of that situation," he said.
The Prime Minister said that the BJP is now in power in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. "This shows that the people in this region have blessed the BJP and we are working tirelessly for them. But some political parties cannot digest this. They are cut off from public trust and ground realities," he said, taking a swipe at rivals.
Hitting out at the Aam Aadmi Party, which lost the Delhi election to BJP, the Prime Minister said, "Some months back, a conspiracy to create a rift between the people of Delhi and Haryana was hatched. It was even said that Haryana was poisoning Delhi's water. Delhi NCR is now free of such negative politics," he said.
The Prime Minister today inaugurated a key stretch of the Urban Extension Road-II and the Delhi section of Dwarka Expressway. The projects, with a combined cost of Rs 11,000 crore, will aid the commute of people in the Delhi-NCR region and reduce congestion on the capital's roads. "When the world judges India, it first looks at our capital, Delhi. We have to make Delhi a model of a developed India. Our government has worked on this at multiple levels. In the past 11 years, travel has become easier in Delhi NCR," the Prime Minister said.
