Congress tried to ensure Netaji, Savarkar were forgotten by masses: Nadda

PORT BLAIR: BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday accused the previous Congress regimes of trying to ensure that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and VD Savarkar were forgotten by the masses, while asserting that the Modi government will "never let that happen".

Addressing an election rally here, Nadda, in his first visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands since becoming the BJP president, said that the archipelago will witness a "sea change" in the next few years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Attempts were made by the Congress to ensure that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Veer (Vinayak Damodar) Savarkar were forgotten, but the Narendra Modi government will never let that happen. Initiatives taken by the PM are symbols of India's indebtedness towards our freedom fighters," he said.

"We have taken several initiatives such as installing a statue of Netaji on Kartavya Path in New Delhi and the proposed memorial in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to honour his legacy. I also commend PM Modi's vision of naming 21 islands after Param Veer Chakra awardees," he said.

Nearly Rs 700 crore has been allotted to the new terminal building of Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair, Nadda said.

"Under the previous Congress governments, people of the archipelago were deprived of such projects. So, please become a part of India's development by helping the BJP win this important Lok Sabha seat," he said.

The BJP has fielded Bishnu Pada Ray against sitting Congress MP Kuldeep Rai Sharma in the lone Lok Sabha seat in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, voting for which will be held on April 19.

Attacking the INDIA bloc by calling it a "ghamandiya" (arrogant) alliance, Nadda said most of its leaders were "either in jail or on bail".

"They are all corrupt and are spewing venom against Modi ji because he has taken a pledge to eradicate corruption from the country," he added.

Nadda claimed that ever since Modi became the prime minister of the country, priority has been accorded to the development of the archipelago, as a result of which a lot of locals have benefited from central schemes.

Nadda said the Modi government commissioned the Rs 1,232 crore submarine optical fibre project connecting the islands with Chennai in 2020. He claimed that the Rs 73,000 crore International Container Trans-shipment Terminal or ICTT Project in Great Nicobar will generate lakhs of employment.

On the implementation of central schemes in the islands, he said that nearly 33,000 houses have been provided with water connection under 'Har Ghar Jal Mission' and around 16,000 farmers are benefitting from the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, while there are around 13,000 beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in the archipelago.

Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, nearly 4,000 people got pucca houses, while 20,000 toilets were constructed under Swachh Bharat Mission, he said, adding that around 11,500 families have benefitted from the Ayushman Bharat scheme.