Mumbai, Oct 19 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance of doing the maximum harm to the state and country because of its corruption.
"However, nobody will be spared. Those who destroyed the Indian economy and banking sector for 10 years are either in Tihar Jail or in Mumbai jails. This is just the beginning of the 'safai abhiyan' and it will pick momentum soon," Modi warned.
He assured that the honest people have nothing to worry about, but the dishonest will not be spared and no power can prevent them from being punished for their misdoings.
Addressing a joint rally of Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena and other allies in Mumbai ahead of the October 21 Assembly elections, Modi, blasting the Congress-NCP, said that in their 15 years rule in the state, they only indulged in corruption and worked for the corrupt, immensely harming the people.
In contrast, he said that in the past five years, there is not a single allegation of corruption against the BJP government both at the Centre and the state.
"On the other hand, our government at the state and centre has worked for empowering the people at all levels, serving the poorest by giving them affordable homes, toilets, water and gas connection, Rs 5 lakh health insurance to the poor, and other welfare measures," Modi said.
On the question of unemployment - raised by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Thursday - Modi admitted that jobs are important to increase opportunities.
"This is a government that respects 'job-creators' for whom it is making special efforts like East of Doing Business, reducing red-tapism and laying out the red-carpet for them."
In this context, he said the country is moving towards a friendly instead of fearsome tax regime in which the honest tax-payers will never suffer.
"We shall change the tax-assessment systems prevailing since past many years. We have already scrapped Angel Tax, rationalised Corporate Tax, implemented Mudra scheme for the common people... This is the difference between (the previous regime) and our government," said Modi.
He declared that the BJP government would not tire, dilly-dally or bend, but make efforts to ensure that no projects are delayed or dumped.
In this context, he mentioned the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project conceived in 2004, which the BJP-Sena government revived in 2016 and it will be completed in coming few years.
Similarly, he said the Mumbai Metro and the Navi Mumbai International Airport projects were languishing since 1997, and kept on getting delayed.
Finally, it was revived but till 2013-2014, only 11 kms Metro Rail built in 16, "a speed which would shame even a tortoise", but the BJP-Sena government has moved fast and in the next few years, there will be a Metro Rail network in the city.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport project has also been revived and is progressing well now, and moving towards completion soon, he said.
Taking a swipe at the NCP, he said that instead of punishing the perpetrators of the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, it is now emerging that the then rulers were engaged in business dealings with people like Iqbal Mirchi, who was wanted in the terror attacks.
He made a fervent appeal to the people of Mumbai and Maharashtra to return the BJP-Sena alliance with a higher majority compared to 2014 to take the state on path of all-round progress and fast development.